


Escaping Fate

by Slider (TemporalKnight)



Category: Parahumans Series - Wildbow
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Coil Broke Lisa Before the Start, Escalation Queen, F/F, Friendly Victoria, Hurt/Comfort, Mute Lisa, character focused, supportive taylor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:21:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 34,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27987612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TemporalKnight/pseuds/Slider
Summary: In one world Lisa managed to walk a fine line between annoying Coil and keeping herself a free woman. In another, she fell off that knife edge. But if she should manage to get away after being broken, and if she should be taken in by a new hero trying to make a difference...things might go down a different path indeed.
Relationships: Taylor Hebert | Skitter | Weaver/Lisa Wilbourn | Tattletale
Comments: 126
Kudos: 316





	1. Flight 1-1

**AN:** The genesis of this idea was inspired from [Indwelling](https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/indwelling.846415/) by lyrisey. If you haven't read that go and do so, the feels, the _feels_! Anyway, I already have a pretty clear outline for the majority of the fic with a very good idea of the ending. As a whole this story is going to be far more self-contained than most of my other works and will be quite a bit shorter by design because of that. It's largely going to be a character focused story and there probably won't be all that much blatant action until nearer to the end. Of course, that is always subject to change if the characters start laying their own rails halfway through like my people tend to do so...yeah, we shall see how long that idea holds out!

While this chapter starts off somewhat dark, if you've read anything by me, you know that things will improve eventually. The second chapter has already been written already and is waiting for beta which should be finished in a day or two. In the meantime, please enjoy the start to this new fic!

* * *

**Escaping Fate**

**Flight 1-1**

"I don't care that the shipment is delayed. You say that the Merchants attacked the container ship? So, it's simple, attack the _Merchants_. This is what I pay you for."

It was hard to focus, but she forced herself to listen, to pay attention. The fog was ever present, but this was _important_. Her power told her so. She needed to listen. She needed to push through the fog. Her eyes didn't need to be able to focus -

not that they could

\- only her ears were needed here. It didn't matter that the room was too bright to see through the window. She just needed to be able to _hear_.

"Coil, we don't have enough guys to be able to take down Skidmark, Squealer, and Mush at the same time. They have a new cape too, Whirlygirl or something."

"I pay you to solve these problems. Should I be paying someone _else_?"

Shudders ran through her body. The mercenary was useless. He didn't have a purpose. He was going to be discarded. There was going to be a piece of metal lodged in between his eyes and -

_Threat intended to prod reactive response, not intended for follow through._

\- She bit her lip hard enough to taste copper and focused on the conversation again, the fog lifting slightly and the shuddering calming to brief, sporadic shivers.

"You specifically said you want to keep a low profile, Boss. I can get the product back, but it's not going to be low profile and there's not going to be any way we can blame it on the ABB or the Empire."

Master cursed, his lips lifting into a snarl visible even under the full body suit. "Without that shipment we don't have enough to keep my pet docile. I trusted your men to protect that delivery."

"I lost 6 men trying to protect that box, Boss. Tinker tech weaponry only goes so far. You want real results, hire real capes. Just give the bitch real drugs. Hell, Mikey has a bag of cocaine in his bunk; I can go grab it for you right now."

 _Coil won't agree. Coil likes Tinker concoction. Lucid, compliant, functional, addicted_.

 _Useful_ , she finished in her mind, another shudder racking her. Normal drugs wouldn't leave her _useful_ like Master liked.

But…if he didn't agree…the fog was slowly lifting. She would have to time it just right -

_2 hours from now. Still drugged into supposed compliance for looser safety measures. Not so drugged to be unable to escape. Not long enough for withdrawal symptoms to fully manifest._

\- but she could do it. She could do it. She had to do it.

* * *

She breathed out, and forced her eyes to focus. The footsteps from the mercenary around the corner were getting closer, but she needed to see him to know where he was. Hearing was good, sight was better. She needed to _see_ him.

She peeked around the corner, everything still blurry and warping in and out of focus as she moved. One second to look, one second to duck back around the corner. He wouldn't see her. Her hair was too short now, the blonde wouldn't catch in the dim light of the access corridor. Her old hair would have. Not now. Not after Master had had his fun.

Leaning back against the wall and breathing deep to let her power work, the world swam. It would be so much easier to simply sit down and rest her head, let the gun in her hands go and relax until the next glorious spell of liquid wonder hit her and then everything would be fine and -

_6 feet away, approach steady. Can strike killing blow by lifting weapon 12 inches and squeezing trigger in 5 seconds._

\- She lifted the tinker gun she had slipped from the back pocket of the last merc she passed and aimed. After 5 seconds she pulled the trigger and started running down the newly cleared hallway. The soft pop of the gun was lost in the cavernous void of the final corridor. Her power wasn't supposed to be used like this. She wasn't a Combat Thinker. She wasn't supposed to be able to force it to give her timings and angles. She wasn't supposed to be able to jailbreak herself like this.

Had Master forced her into a Second Trigger? No, that didn't make sense. She stumbled, falling against the stairs and gasping for air even as a part of her pushed the ridiculous notion aside. She hadn't Second Triggered. There was no way. Her power was still the same, just being used…differently.

She'd never tried to use it in combat before. It had hurt too much, the power itself had fought her. Now it was…helping. If powers could help.

Maybe the drugs were messing with her mind more than she had thought.

The door to the outside was in front of her. A keypad. Oily keys. Who had she just killed? Mark? Mikey?

_Mikey had cocaine under bunk. Would use familiar numbers as a code to ensure he could remember them while high. Numbers on vest were 05 41 96. Code for door is 054196._

She reached for the keypad, and the numbers swam in front of her. Her head hurt, her skin itched, everything was too bright, it was hard to focus, her hands were shaking.

Grabbing her right hand with her left, she pushed forward, and carefully - _carefully_ \- poked in the code. The door hissed open and she breathed Brockton Bay's air for the first time in nearly two months.

It tasted horrible. It tasted like smog and garbage and seawater.

It tasted like heaven.

* * *

The sun had gone down before she collapsed against the wall of an alley. She didn't know how long she had ran -

stumbled

\- but it hadn't been long enough. She hadn't gotten far enough. Master would find her. His mercenaries would find her and he would take her back. He would take her back and he would give her the liquid wonder and she wouldn't be able to get free again because he wouldn't be careless enough to let his stockpile drop so low as to let her miss a dose again.

He'd take her back and the last spark that was Sarah would die.

She curled into a ball against the wall of the alley and hid her face in her hands, trying not to cry. She hadn't cried when Rex had died. She hadn't cried when she'd realized her parents were _using_ her. She hadn't cried when Master had started his work. She wouldn't cry. She wouldn't cry. She -

_Insects' behavior is directed, not natural. Cape influence likely. Coil has not requested information on Insect Master. New Cape, unknown to Coil. Potential assistance._

\- couldn't focus enough to care. Her power was whispering something important and the fog around her thoughts had diminished, but it was all she could do to keep gasping gulps of air at the moment. Trying to focus enough to do more, to understand, to react? That was too much. She had to hold it in. She had to stand and move or Master would come.

But it was so _hard_ to move.

"Hey, are you okay?"

She jerked away from the voice, a sob escaping from her stranglehold grip before she was able to clamp her mouth shut again. She dropped her hands from her face and skidded back against the wall. There was a girl there, a Cape. The Cape was young, probably about the same age as Sarah herself. The armor was almost insectoid and dyed in dark, mottled greys and browns. Sarah breathed harder, her eyes widening.

"I'm not going to hurt you." The Cape held up her hands. "I want to help. I can call the police? I mean, I don't have a phone but I can go find a pay phone and…" the girl trailed off as Sarah shook her head hard enough to whip what remained of her hair to the side. "Okay, so no police. The PRT then?"

Sarah's hand went over her heart, grasping at the flimsy smock Master kept her in. She couldn't breathe. The alley narrowed to a point a thousand miles away. She couldn't breathe. The warmth seeped out of her at the thought of the PRT. She couldn't breathe.

Master worked with the PRT. Master used people in the PRT. Master ranted about the PRT. Master asked questions about his bosses in the PRT. Master would find her instantly in the PRT.

She couldn't breathe.

"Hey, hey look at me! Please look at me! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm - fuck I knew this costume was a bad idea."

Sarah's vision flickered. Her hands spasmed. She couldn't breathe.

Brown curls and wide, scared green eyes filled her vision. Sarah gasped, her own eyes widening as she stared into the gaze of the Cape. The Cape, who had just pulled off her mask, pushed a pair of glasses onto her face, knelt down in front of her, and put her hands onto Sarah's shoulders.

"There, I'm just a normal girl, see? Breathe. Just, just breathe. In, and out. In, and out."

Her surroundings started to reassert themselves, but Sarah could only stare slack-jawed at the Cape. The other girl still had both hands on Sarah's shoulders and was mirroring Sarah's breaths. Sarah lifted a shaky finger and pointed at the girl's head.

"What? My mask? Well, you were freaking out and I thought it was scaring you on top of everything else and you looked like you were about to pass out and…I didn't really know what to do and…This is my first night out okay. I don't really know the rules. Please don't tell anyone what I look like? I don't even really have a name yet. I'm sorry if I scared you. We don't have to go to the PRT if you don't want to. I…I understand not trusting the people in charge." Her voice got so soft that Sarah could barely hear her as she continued, "It's never really helped me in the past."

_Has problems with school or home. Abuse at home would imply she sought help with police, yet first suggested police for assistance, trusts them. Issues at school. Sought help with administration. Administration failed to act. Lack of friends. Lack of support. Triggered from school trauma. Needs support. Desperate for friends. Needs to be helpful. Unmasked to be helpful._

_Can be an ally. Will trust fully if not given a reason to suspect betrayal._

Sarah nodded slowly, as much answering her power as the girl.

"I want to help," the girl said, softly, her hands still on Sarah's shoulders. "We can go somewhere safe. I can…I don't have a lair yet, um, do you have somewhere I can take you? Someone you trust?"

Sarah shook her head.

The girl grimaced. "Damn. Okay, so no police, no PRT, no one you trust in the city…screw it. We don't use the basement much anyway, would you be okay with staying in my house for a few days until I can find someone you trust that can help?"

Sarah opened her mouth -

_Wants to help. Will be an ally. Will not use you for power._

\- and immediately snapped her jaw shut again. Breathing out a shaky puff of frigid air, she nodded once.

The girl smiled and stood. She held out her hand towards Sarah, waiting for Sarah to slip her smaller hand into the wide grip before pulling Sarah to her feet. "Great. I'm Taylor. It's nice to meet you. If you give me a minute I can take the rest of this off and we can walk back pretending to be normal. I have a spare change of clothes in a backpack a block away that you can use. Might be a bit baggy on you though."

_Wants to help. Will be an ally._

Sarah smiled - even if it probably came off as more of a happy grimace. Her nod this time was strong enough to actually be something she was proud of.


	2. Flight 1-2

**Flight 1-2**

The door to the basement closed and Sarah squeezed her eyes shut, focusing on calming her short, sharp gasps into longer, normal, even breaths.

_Not Coil's base. Single room. Small. Dusty window. Dusty air. Not Coil's base._

It wasn't helping. She felt blood trickling between her fingers as she clenched her hands tighter and tried to breathe. It wasn't helping. The shudders that ran up and down her back and nearly sent her tumbling down the short staircase certainly didn't make it easier.

"Okay, alright this obviously isn't going to work. Come on, just step back. Again. Again. There we go. Can you open your eyes? We're not on the basement landing anymore."

_Wants to help. Will be an ally._

Sarah's fists carefully relaxed and she winced as her nails slipped out of the skin of her palms. The girl - Taylor - frowned and took her hand in her own. "Are you okay with bathrooms? I should disinfect this. I'd like to get you a shower too, but my dad is asleep and that would definitely wake him up. He's a heavy sleeper, but not _that_ heavy. Plus," she sighed, looking at her watch, "it took us longer to get back here than I thought. Are you okay with waiting a few hours until morning? He usually leaves around 6."

Sarah winced. It had been getting harder to walk the further they got. She was shaking too much. She needed her liquid wonder.

No. No, she _didn't_. She was fine. She was fine. She was _fine_.

"I mean, if you really want one right now, that's fine. I'll just have to stay in the room with you and when my dad asks, I can make something up."

Realizing what her wince had been interpreted as, Sarah tried to smile though she knew it still came out more of a grimace than anything else. Instead, she held up a hand in an okay sign coupled with a small shake of her head. Taylor nodded back and led her to the stairs.

"If you're sure…Okay, well let's at least get your hands cleaned up. The main bathroom is up here." Sarah was proud that she only had to lean on Taylor once as they got to the top of the stairs. "Right through here. Are you going to be okay for a minute? I need to go grab a book. I'll be right back."

Sarah flashed a thumbs up and Taylor left her alone. Forcing the shivers to stop, Sarah was able to place her hands under the faucet and scrub them mostly clean. She found the hydrogen peroxide under the sink and was wiping away the stinging fizz over her cuts by the time that Taylor returned.

"Oh, you already got the disinfectant. Okay, that's good." She reached for Sarah's hands and leaned down to inspect them, nodding once and smiling at Sarah as she let go. "Can't be too careful. What do you want for bandaids? We have Yoda, Hello Kitty, Hello _Levi_ \- I seriously don't get how anyone could have thought that Leviathan could be made to be cute - oh we also have Alexandria, and Legend too."

Sarah thought for a moment and held up five fingers.

"Legend it is."

Once her cuts were seen too, Taylor sat down on the toilet and brought out the book that she had taken up. Sarah frowned as she saw the title. _1001 Baby Names._ She lifted her eyebrow as Taylor caught her staring.

"I can't just keep referring to you as 'hey you'. I get that you can't talk. So I can either go get some paper for you to write your name down or, if this is easier, you can just point out your name." She paused, biting her lip. "Um, you _can_ read…right?"

Sarah gave a weak laugh, trying to ignore the shiver that ran up her back at the idea of getting a pen and pad. If she started with that, it was just a hop skip and a jump to talking and once she opened her mouth it would all be over. She wouldn't be able to stop. She knew herself well enough to know that. If she started she would keep going. So she just couldn't start.

Her parents had never been nice, but they had been family. Once they knew what she could do, they had shown who they really were. And Sarah hadn't survived the experience - not intact.

Once Master had found out what she could do…Lisa hadn't survived that either. Sarah clenched her teeth and let air hiss through her teeth.

Taylor was helping now. Taylor was nice. Taylor was friendly. Taylor wasn't going to use her for her power. She was fine.

Sarah wouldn't give the other girl a chance to find out how _useful_ she could be anyway. She was _fine_.

Sarah reached for the book and flipped through the pages until she hit the S's. She paused as her finger hovered over her name; her brows creasing as she chewed her lip. Lisa had died a fiery death, that much was clear. Did she want to go back to Sarah? Was Sarah just as dead as Lisa?

"Something really bad happened, didn't it?" Taylor's soft voice was almost a caress on her skin. Sarah looked up. It was hard to see Taylor for some reason.

_[̴̩̍H̵̛̖̮o̴̰̕ṣ̴̨̋̈ṱ̵̍'̵̪̙̓̒s̵̛̫̱̆]̶̧̂ eyes are coated in watery film. [̷͚͌H̷̩̍o̸̥͒s̸̪̊t̵͝ͅ]̷̛̥ crying. [̷͚͌H̷̩̍o̸̥͒s̸̪̊t̵͝ͅ]̷̛̥ emotional response brought on by unexpected empathy. Taylor will help. Taylor is ally._

Taylor laid her hand over Sarah's, her smile gentle, her touch just as soothing. "Do…do you want me to…choose a new one for you?"

She shut her eyes, letting out a long, silent breath and nodded. Let Sarah die. It was better this way.

"Okay. So, bad things happened so we need a strong name. A survivor, someone who beats the odds and keeps going." Taylor tapped the cover of the book. She didn't need to open her eyes to know that Taylor was frowning down at the cover. "Hmm, a few options I can think of right away. First off, Jo, or Josephine. Like from _Little Women_. She bucked the normal trends for women of the time period, she was a writer, she didn't marry the person she was 'supposed' to, she was as close to a tomboy as the people of that period could get…"

She bit her lip, then shook her head once.

Taylor grunted. "Okay, yeah, it is a bit old fashioned. My mom was a literary professor so…yeah. How about Lara? Like from the video games about that tomb raider woman? I don't really play games, but my dad was a fan and he used to tell me about how she dual wielded two guns and got to leap around everything and show everyone else who was boss. I think she fought a dinosaur too."

She snorted, though quickly shook her head again.

Taylor chuckled. "Yeah, probably not the best fit, huh. Okay, um, oh, how about Nancy? Like for Nancy Drew. She was a big contender for best detective besides the Hardy Boys and was a huge progressive figure for girls who were just starting to read and wanted a strong figure to look up to and emulate. I mean, you know, as long as they didn't go trying to hunt down killers and chase ghosts into swamps and stuff but…well other than _that_ she was a great role model."

Nancy. A detective. She had wanted to be a detective once upon a time. It might as well have been in another life now, but…She clasped her hands and forced a half smile, nodding.

Taylor smiled back, her face lighting up and she dropped the book onto the countertop. "Nancy it is. So, Nancy, if you want to freshen up a bit, I can go make a quick plate of sandwiches. Remember, no shower, but anything else in here is good to go. Except the hairdryer. That would wake Dad up too. I'll get an air mattress set up for you in my room too. Since the basement isn't going to work, that should be okay and it'll keep Dad from seeing you hanging out on the couch when he leaves. I could probably get away with saying you were a friend sleeping over, but he'd ask at least a few questions, and…"

_No recent photos downstairs. Taylor unsure of Father's state. Taylor's Father not present in her life. Changed recently. Possibly won't question presence in house. Eventually will ask. Taylor unable to deflect or defuse questions - not confident speaker. Will ask direct questions. Will refuse continued housing when questions rebuffed._

Nancy gulped, squeezing her hands tighter to stop the shaking. She'd have to provide some sort of answers or Taylor's dad would call someone before kicking her out. She wouldn't let them contact anyone else. She couldn't. Master - no, _Sarah_ had a Master, not _Nancy_ \- _**Coil**_ would find out. She nodded. Forcing herself to peel her right hand off of her left, she lifted it and formed a thumbs up.

"You know I'd feel a lot more confident about leaving you alone up here if your hand wasn't shaking like a leaf…"

Nancy scowled at her hand. Stupid hand, betraying her nerves. She shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs out. This was just in her head. None of it was physical yet. She didn't have to worry about physical effects for at least another -

_Twenty seven minutes, nine seconds._

\- hour or two. And even then, she'd just have to tie herself to the bed or something for a day or two. If she could get over the worst of the withdrawal, then she would be fine. She would be fine.

Coil had broken and killed Lisa. Master had tamed Sarah.

But Nancy was free. Nancy was free, and she'd never be a slave again.


	3. Flight 1-3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I have no idea if the withdrawal symptoms I'm portraying in this chapter are accurate or not. I've done a bit of research, but I'm not close enough friends with any of the people I know who have actually gone through this directly so I'm largely spitballing it. Anything that isn't accurate, chalk up to 'this is because of tinker tech drugs and not real-life drugs'.

**Flight 1-3**

Another crash echoed through the morning and Nancy cringed back against the warm body behind her.

"Shh, it's just a car backfire. You're safe."

Nancy didn't remember moving from the air mattress to the bed. She had been here for some time though considering the state of the sheets under her. It was still a tossup on whether her initial move, her now near-constant shaking, or the soaked bedding was what had woken Taylor up.

_Surrounding dampness and rate of sweating indicates approximately 1 hour 12 minutes in current location. Withdrawal symptoms are worsening._

Her mouth was so dry. She needed water. She needed -

_something stronger_

\- coffee. She bit down on the hand in her mouth trying to stop the whimper from escaping. She knew she wasn't successful when Taylor quietly cursed.

"Goddamn Merchants and their fucking poison."

Nancy shook her head. Blaming the Merchants would have been easy. It was almost right in a way, considering the current problem. But it wasn't correct. And if she was going to suffer, then she was going to make sure that the _right_ person was blamed for it.

"No? Not the Merchants? But…I mean aren't you…?"

She nodded. Biting into her finger as another convulsion wracked her body. Taylor threw another blanket over her shoulder and rubbed soothing circles.

"I really have no idea what the hell I'm doing here…" the taller girl muttered. "Okay, so you're going through withdrawal, but you weren't running from the Merchants. You don't have someone you can trust in the city so it's probably still one of the gangs that's responsible because otherwise you'd have family to turn to. You're basically the Aryan ideal so I find it hard to believe that the Empire would have kidnapped and tormented you."

Nancy scoffed. The idea that the Empire actually gave a shit about their vaunted ideology was laughable. Sure some of them probably were really Neo-Nazis, but Kaiser would just as soon murder a white person as he would a black person. All were just stepping stones to more power for him.

Just like _**Coil**_ **.**

She pulled her hand from her mouth to avoid drawing blood as her teeth ground together. She couldn't think about him. As long as she didn't think about him, she would be _fine_. Everything was perfectly fine. She had had bad days before. Bad days were nothing. She'd had headaches, and she'd been sick. A little drug problem wasn't anything to worry about.

She. Was. _Fine_.

"Yeah, I suppose the Empire wouldn't really care if you were white if you pissed them off, huh. But since you didn't flinch away, I'm still going with: Not Empire. ABB? You were kinda close to their territory when I found you. They have a bit of a reputation for kidnapping girls and sending them to…bad places. It was part of the reason I was heading out that way."

Nancy shook her head once more.

Taylor hummed to herself for a moment. "That doesn't really leave many players, unless it was a random guy. There's Uber and Leet but they wouldn't do something like this. The worst they've ever done was beat people up and even then I think it turned out to just be actresses they'd hired. Circus is that new Independent but again, they're not really a person that would kidnap and drug someone. PHO is pretty consistent on Bitch staying by herself and only caring about dogs. Oh! Someone said something about there being a new guy in between the ABB and Merchant grounds. Snake or Circles or something. He used mainly mercenaries I think; was supposed to be someone we're watching out for now."

Nancy flopped onto her back, knocking the blankets that Taylor had piled over her to the side. She arched her eyebrows at the other girl.

Taylor pulled back, her eyes widening. " _Snake_? Seriously? Holy shit. Wow, okay. So he's…a bigger problem than I thought…"

_Will patrol near Coil's territory. Will try to find information on Coil._

Nancy's eyes widened. She flailed under the remaining blanket for a moment and finally - _finally_ \- managed to get free, clasping Taylor's hand with her own. Taylor frowned as she looked at her. "I'm sorry, I don't -"

Nancy gestured with her free arm towards the rest of the room then pointed straight down. Then she jerked Taylor's hand down onto the bed and shut her eyes, letting out a shaky breath.

"Stay here. Oh. Oh yeah, I can see why you'd be worried. Nancy, it would only be for a short time and -"

She hissed and jerked her head quickly scowling as she glared at Taylor. Taylor frowned, then her eyes widened. "Not just 'stay'. You don't want me to go after _him_ in particular. Because he hurt you and you think he can get _me_ too?"

She nodded.

"I get it. But you didn't really get to see my powers yet. They are, I mean I can…I have a really good range with my bugs. I don't have to risk myself at all really. I can just camp out in a building and send out my critters and…" She trailed off as Nancy violently shook her head, teeth clenched tight enough to hurt her jaw.

"…He hurt you." Nancy squeezed Taylor's hand harder. "I can find him." She shook her head. "I can get the PRT to go after him." She pulled Taylor's hand to her chest, shaking her head again. "I don't have to get into the line of fire. He'd never even know I'm there. Neither would the PRT. I can call in an anonymous tip." She just curled herself around Taylor's hand. "…Please let me help you."

Nancy lifted her head just enough to catch Taylor's eyes. She slowly, deliberately, lifted one hand and jabbed it down into the bed. Then she curled herself back around Taylor's hand, as another convulsion hit her and she hissed through her clenched teeth, her brow breaking out in sweat again.

"…Okay."

* * *

Nancy huddled in a blanket swaddle fort on the couch, the fork in her hand shaking as she tried to eat the eggs in front of her. Her stomach kept flipping and rebelling with almost every bite, but she needed the food. She needed to eat.

_Nausea, symptom of withdrawal. Omelet is a good source of required nutrients. Taylor is working hard to ensure nutrient intake to required levels. Taylor is trying to be helpful. Taylor is desperate to be helpful._

Nancy forced another bite down, trying to avoid wincing as it hit her stomach.

Taylor still caught her expression. "Our computer sucks, but I've been looking up your symptoms since Dad left. I um…do you know what sort of drugs Snake had you on? Some of these things seem to last for…a really long time. And the problems can get…bad."

_Is unwilling to let things worsen. Taylor is protecting you. Photos of young friend glimpsed in her closet were hidden. Photos stopped at adolescence. Friendship stopped at adolescence. Taylor is unwilling to allow for things with you to deteriorate. Taylor is desperate to not lose another relationship._

Nancy grimaced as she forced another helping of eggs down. It really did taste wonderful. The ketchup and rosemary were amazing. She held a hand up outside of her shaking fort and waved it back and forth in the air.

"Damn. That makes things a bit more complicated. If we knew what you had been on, we might be able to - oh wait, you _do_ what you were hooked on?"

Nancy scowled. This whole 'not talking' thing was getting annoying. If she could just whisper then maybe…

Her throat seized up and her vision swam.

 _NO_. She clenched her hands, her mouth snapping shut fast enough to catch her cheek between her teeth. Tears welled in her eyes from the pain and she tasted copper.

If she said anything at all, Taylor would figure out she was a parahuman in minutes. She would figure out she was a Thinker. She would figure out how she could be _useful_.

The blood in her mouth was almost sweet. That should have been disturbing, instead, it helped center her. She hissed out a sharp breath and unclenched her hand forcing the shaking to subside.

"It's okay. It's okay. Just breathe. In, and out. In, and out. Don't force yourself. It's okay. You're safe. It's all okay."

She couldn't talk. She couldn't be useful.

Nancy didn't know how long it was before Taylor's hand stopped rubbing circles on her back, but eventually she was able to open her eyes and let out a shaky sigh. She reached out to try and finish her omelet, but her hand shook too much to grab the fork.

"Let me help." Taylor reached past her and picked up the utensil, making sure to cut the last portion into smaller bits before spearing one. Nancy glared at Taylor for a long moment before opening her mouth and letting the girl feed her. Thankfully she didn't have to suffer that indignity for long since she had at least finished almost everything before her body and nerves failed her.

Catching sight of the clock on the wall as she collapsed back onto the couch, her eyes narrowed and she jerked her head towards the backpack near the bottom of the stairs. Taylor followed her movement and grunted.

"I can afford to skip the day. You need my help far more than I need to go to school." She sighed. "It's not like I'd get anything accomplished there. Losing more homework, getting ignored, probably skipping the last two or three classes anyway…easier to just skip the whole day. More productive. I've already missed the only class I enjoy anyway."

_Trigger from school based trauma is certain. Friendship failed prior to adolescence - prior to high school. Prior friend, [̷̠͊T̸̝̅r̴̦͛ă̸̹i̶̺͛ṫ̸̬ò̵̲r̶̦̄]̸͉̕ is cause of school trauma. Prolonged trauma. Prolonged isolation. Taylor has imprinted on you out of desperation for support/validation/emotional health/attachment. Taylor is loyal. Taylor is an ally. Taylor is a friend._

Nancy swallowed hard. The last thing she wanted was to be manipulating someone simply by existing. The best thing she could do for Taylor was to leave. She could find an abandoned house or something and she could…she could…

She had lived on her own before. She'd be _fine._

_Taylor needs a friend. [H̸̫̋o̸̦̎s̶̼̀t̶̯̿] needs a friend._

Why was her power so…weird these days?

Nancy bit off a choked laugh that sounded more like a sob. She burrowed deeper into the blankets, sweat beading on her head again. Who was she kidding. Even if she wanted to leave, she'd never be able to get to a new hiding place before she collapsed.

"Nancy, I really need to try and figure out what drugs Snake had you on. Do you think you'd be up to charades? Just long enough to help me get onto the right path. Then I can help you take a shower and you can lie back down and I can…try to figure out how to do…something."

She just nodded.

Taylor breathed out and stood moving to the middle of the room. "Okay. So let's do this the easy way first. I'm going to run through some common things. Thumbs up if I hit the right one." She paused to let Nancy acknowledge it then she started ticking through her list. "Heroin. Cocaine. Meth. Speed. Wait, never mind, those are the same aren't they…Moving on, um, morphine. Do people use that for, oh not that, okay. Um, wow I never thought _not_ being a delinquent would be a bad thing…Why are pointing at the TV?"

Nancy groaned and rubbed at her temple with her free hand and jabbed at the TV again. Then she pointed towards the DVD player, a passing car and the microwave in the kitchen. Taylor frowned following her wandering finger. "Now I really do feel like I'm playing charades," the curly-haired girl muttered. "Wait…technology? Tech drugs?" She gasped, her eyes widening. " _Tinker tech_ drugs?!"

Nancy gave a small clap. Taylor was impressive. Nancy's parents probably would've hired her for a legitimate job if they had met her.

And wasn't that a terrifying thought?

"Oh this is _bad_. Nancy, tinker tech drugs are _really_ , _really_ addictive, shit…The only tinker drugs I've heard of that are common in Brockton right now is Crystal Sand. Someone knocked over a big shipment of it and it's basically everywhere now, and the news is all over school that you do _not_ touch that stuff. If you survive the withdrawal then you're supposed to be more or less fine since it stops messing with you sure, but otherwise…It kills half the people who take it if they miss more than two or three doses! And that's if they can _stop_ themselves from going for another hit! One of the guys in the ABB held up his own _mother_ to get money for another dose. That stuff is _bad_!"

Nancy gestured to herself with a scowl. A shudder racked her at near perfect timing for extra emphasis.

"I…Okay. You're going to be okay. We're going to figure this out. I _promise_. You're going to be _fine_. I'm - I'm going to…You're going to shower and sleep. And I'm going to figure this out. Okay?"

_Taylor is desperate to ensure [̶̟͘Ḧ̶̨o̷̪̊s̴̬͂ṭ̵̈́]̶͍̇'̸͉̈s̸̡̊ survival. Taylor is willing to take drastic action._

Nancy tried to get to her feet. She tried to push herself up. She needed to convince Taylor to stay here. To stay here and just tie her to the bed. She was strong. She could make it through a few days of torture. Then she'd be fine. That was all that they had to do. Taylor didn't have to take any unnecessary risks.

But then, as she got her feet under her, she fell forward, her legs unable to support her weight with the shaking running up them. Taylor caught her before she could fall to the floor. She clung to the taller girl, burying her head in the crook of her neck.

"It's okay. It's okay, I got you. You're going to be fine. I'm going to figure this out, Nancy. I promise. I'm going to figure this out."

Nancy just clung tighter to Taylor. Maybe she did need the help after all.


	4. Interlude T1

**Interlude T1**

I wiped the washcloth over Nancy's forehead as she shivered in my bed below me, the blankets curled around her like a cocoon. Her short blonde hair was plastered to her skull and her cheeks were sunken. The shadows under eyes were deep enough that you almost couldn't see her bottle-glass green eyes and the freckles on her pale skin stood out to an almost frightening degree. She was so thin…

Stepping back, I tried to slip out of the room as quietly as I could. Even looking down, I still couldn't avoid my gaze catching on the length of spider-silk rope that we had wrapped around her wrists and secured to the bed-frame. I _really_ hadn't wanted to do that. I still wasn't sure how she had managed to talk me into it. She couldn't even _speak_. She visibly panicked every time she tried to talk. Hell, I had tried to get her a writing pad and her hands shook enough to break the pencil. How in the _hell_ had she gotten me to _tie her to my bed_?!

 _Because you both want her to still be here when you get back_. Stupid traitorous mind. I scowled at myself as I slipped on my backpack with my costume in it. That didn't make it right. If Nancy wanted to leave she should be able to leave. If she wanted to go to the bathroom she should be able to go to the bathroom.

But…If she _had_ been fed Crystal Sand…she was probably going to _try_ to leave and find more sooner or later. This was…not for the best. The best was me staying at home and helping her through this. Except I didn't know what the hell I was doing and the internet wasn't helping. She was getting worse and it was I was getting scared. It wasn't like I could ask Dad. He couldn't even take care of me or himself, let alone a sick girl who could barely communicate.

I hadn't just lost Mom, when she died. I'd lost them both.

"I won't be gone long," I muttered. It didn't make me feel any better.

* * *

Finding Panacea was stupidly easy. She was the best healer in the country. Supposedly the best healer on the continent. She should be protected, not walking around like a freaking zombie, smoking a cigarette on the roof of the hospital. Why did she even smoke? Those were _horrible_ for you! Didn't she know that? Didn't she _care_?

This was such a bad idea.

She barely even glanced at me as I walked out from the edge of the roof. Getting up here from the floor below had been easy thanks to my spider-silk ropes. Working out had been good for a few things at least.

"You should know, if you kidnap me everyone in the city is going to be out for your head. Probably everyone on the East Coast too. There's a lot of medical tourism coming to Brockton Bay now. Millionaires have deep pockets to pay for revenge. Not that I help them specifically anyway, but you know, there's always the _chance_ that I could."

"I'm not here to kidnap you," I mumbled. This was such a bad idea. I wrung my hands, the sweat itchy under my costume, the breath hot against the inside of the mask despite the cold. I moved beside her and laid my hands on the railing next to her. "I just…I need help…"

"I don't do requests."

"I know…"

"So what the fuck are you doing here? Besides pissing me off?"

"I don't…" I took a deep breath and let it out slow. I had to try to center myself and do this right. I had been running this conversation in my mind the entire trip here and I needed to get it _right_. Nancy's life could very well depend on it. "I'm new. I helped someone the other night. She was running away from one of the new gang leaders. The mercenary guy, Snake."

"Coil."

"What? I thought his name was - never mind, it's not important, she was running away, she _got_ away. I helped her."

"And what? She's hurt bad? Take her to a hospital. If she's really bad they'll probably call for me anyway. If she's not, she'll get the help she needs."

"I can't. She's pretty convinced that he'll find her if I take her anywhere else. I'm not sure what to do. The only training I have is basic CPR from back at camp and what I can find online. My dad works at the union. He wouldn't know what to do."

"Go to the PRT."

"I…I don't trust them…"

She snorted, reaching down to snuff out her cigarette. "Sounds like you have problems."

"Please, I just, I just need some help. Or some advice. Or some…I'm messing this up. Do you know where there's an underground doctor? Somewhere that the villains go when they are hurt? Maybe Snake - I mean Coil - doesn't watch those."

Panacea turned to look at me, it was hard to see under her hood, but I thought she was probably gaping. I would have been in her shoes. "Did you seriously just ask me where to find a secret backroom doctor?"

"I can't ask the Protectorate, Parian and Circus would just go to a regular hospital, Bitch would probably let herself die before she let someone help her…I don't know who else to ask."

"Jesus Christ," Panacea muttered. She reached up to rub at her eyes and then lit another cigarette. Taking a moment to take a few puffs at the death stick, she kept glaring at me the whole time. Finally, she said, "What did he do to her?"

"I'm not entirely sure. A lot of it seems to be psychological since she keeps flinching at a lot of things and she's freaking out whenever it looks like she's trapped somewhere."

"I can't do anything with brains."

"I know."

"What else did he do to her?"

"He got her addicted to a tinker drug. She didn't know exactly which one it was, or if she did, she couldn't tell me. But I think it was Crystal Sand."

Panacea grunted. "Bad shit. I've seen a lot of people coming down off of that in the past few days. Merchants didn't know what they were getting into when they hit that shipment."

"She hasn't had a hit since she got away. I'm…I think she's dying…"

Panacea met my gaze, her eyes searching even as she barely moved. "You'd really take her to a backroom doctor instead of a real hospital?"

I bit off my first reply and squeezed my eyes shut. Remembering Mom being shunted to the side because someone else who was 'more likely to survive' had come in was…too painful. "I haven't had good experiences with hospitals personally. If she thinks that she would get kidnapped at a hospital, then I'm inclined to believe her."

"…How long have you been active, Insect Girl?"

"This is my second time wearing my costume. And I'm not Insect Girl. I - well actually I don't have a name yet."

Panacea shook her head. "Don't go out in costume without a name picked out. PRT will saddle you with a pathetic one. It's marketing. They try to shame you into joining them. Makes it easier to do their job."

"Oh." I squared my shoulders and licked my lips. "Are you going to tell me where I can find a doctor?"

She stubbed out her cigarette and sighed. "You're a naive idiot. You know that right? Do you have any idea what they charge at those types of places?"

"She's dying. I have to do _something_!"

"No one ever sticks with you like the first person you save…or fail to…" She ran her hand down her face, sighing. "I'm going to regret this…Where is she?"

I could only stare at Panacea for several moments as she crossed her arms and glared at me. Finally my brain rebooted and I sucked in a breath. I rattled off my address without pausing to think. Once it was out, I winced. Well, what was done was done. No helping it now.

Panacea nodded, took out her phone and tapped a few keys. "That's residential. You don't have a lair?" I shook my head. "Christ, you really are new. When do your parents get home?"

"Usually around 6:30 or 7."

"I'll be there at 3. Do you think your friend will be okay until then?"

I nodded. Panacea just nodded back once and stepped past me, heading to the roof's door. She had her hand on the doorknob before I got my voice back. "Why?" I shouted.

"Because," she paused as she glanced over her shoulder at me. "A long time ago I used to want to help people as much as you do right now. That's going to be beaten out of you really fast. For once, I don't really feel like being the one to do it. And, if you go to Doctor Mickael you're likely going to lose your house without a backer. Or you'll wind up in a gang to be able to pay for the fucking thing and then I'll have to clean up after you. Don't expect me to do this again for you Insect Girl."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So funny story, the initial plan for this chapter was going to be Taylor almost blackmailing Panacea into helping her through use of an 'I saved your sister!' line. This didn't even make it into the initial partial write-up since Taylor immediately went for the current version with almost no input from myself. This works much better for the story and her character as a whole as well, so I thank Taylor for her input to this chapter!


	5. Recovery 1-1

**Recovery 01**

It was cold. Yet the air felt scalding as she gasped in a breath. And her skin was like ice. Everything was pain. The migraines had never been this bad. The hunger had never been this bad. The beatings had never been this bad.

If she could just have used her hands she could have crawled away. She could have found a Merchant dealer. She could have made it stop.

_Symptoms inducing delirium. Normal thoughts interrupted. Coil would reacquire quickly if found wandering down the street seeking drugs. Withdrawal worsening._

Her whole body shook as the implications took root. She couldn't trust her own mind anymore. Her mind was all she had. If she couldn't trust her mind what did she have left?

It would have been easier just to die instead of dealing with this.

Or to let Master keep using her. Being a Pet was easy. It was simple. It was calming and normal and -

Sarah screwed her eyes shut, scraping her right foot down her left leg and leaving a bloody gash behind from her toe nail. It wasn't much. It was enough.

Sarah died again.

Nancy sobbed, biting her tongue, forcing her thoughts away from Coil and his drugs.

Taylor would be back soon. She'd help. She'd…she'd help.

* * *

"Shh, shh, it's okay, it's okay. Try to drink. You need fluids."

Nancy swam up from the fog, her eyes fluttering open. A mug took over most of her field of vision as it was held against her lips. Taylor's curly hair and expressive eyes visible just behind it. Nancy swallowed, the tea in the mug soothing her aching throat. She gulped the rest, grasping for the mug, only realizing that her hands were free as the drink vanished. Her eyes widened and she stared at her wrists, the mug forgotten.

"You were whimpering and tossing and turning. I couldn't just keep watching you suffering," Taylor murmured. Nancy lowered her hands, and stared at Taylor. "Don't look at me like that. You're not going to overpower me, I'm like a beanpole but you're practically a stick."

Nancy, winced and flopped back onto the bed letting her eyes shut in silent agreement. Her leg stung. Why did her leg hurt? She reached down to scratch at it and Taylor caught her hand.

"Don't. Just…don't."

_Taylor is worried that you might become aware of something that would distress you. Distressing item on your leg. Your leg is wrapped in bandages. Leg is injured. You injured your leg while suffering increased symptoms._

She hissed, not fighting as Taylor laid her hand back down over her chest and patted her arm. The girl reached down and wiped a washcloth over her brow. The cloth was soothing even if it didn't help the migraine pounding just beneath the surface. "Someone is coming over to help in about five minutes. I'm glad you're a bit more lucid right now. You've been out of it most of the day."

Nancy's eyes shot open and she whipped upwards fast enough that her head cracked against Taylor. Both of them moved away, groaning and rubbing at their foreheads.

"Ow. You need a doctor. I got the next best thing."

_Taylor's backpack is in the room and her costume's sleeve is partially visible. She either sought assistance with an Alley Physician or Panacea. Neither make house calls. Taylor is not well off but is earnest. Supremely unlikely to know of back-alley doctors. Wouldn't trust someone who helps villains. Panacea is the more likely option._

Nancy bit her lip, glancing down at the bed, clutching at the blankets. This wasn't ideal. No one should know that she was here. Her breath came in short pants as she tried to force down the panic of Coil finding out with the knowledge that Panacea kept her healings confidential as a rule.

"It'll be fine. You'll see. It'll be fine. I'm going to keep you safe. I promise."

Nancy couldn't help the quiver of her hands, but at least she was able to nod. Taylor laid her own hands over Nancy's and squeezed. "You're not doing well, Nancy, and it's barely been a day. I have to make sure that someone who knows what they're doing looks you over. If it's just psychological then we can work through it. But if it's also physical…You've been throwing up _a lot_ since I got back. And I don't like how pale you are or how much you're sweating. Just…she's going to help. Okay?"

Nancy flipped her hands over and gripped Taylor's wrists. She let out her breath in a shaky wheeze. It was all she could really do. It wasn't like she had much choice in the matter.

_Current fluid loss and Taylor's evident concern implies a longer period of non-lucidity than anticipated. Withdrawal is worsening. Coil heightened the dosage. Symptoms could lead to death if not addressed._

Death was preferable to getting caught looking for another fix. Death was preferable to being a slave again. Death was preferable to letting Sarah's outlook on Coil back out into the light.

_Taylor is ally. Taylor is friend. Taylor has brought assistance. Assistance will heal [̶̼̑H̸̪̐o̷̰̔s̷̖͆t̵̙̀]̴̢̈._

Nancy grimaced. Panacea could potentially heal her body. But it was well documented that she couldn't do anything for her mind.

* * *

Nancy flinched as the door of the room closed again. She tried moving deeper under the blankets, but she'd already wrapped them fully around herself - all she could do was shove herself against the wall. It wasn't ideal. It would do.

She peeked out of the blankets and tracked the two new teenage girls. One stood next to Taylor in jeans and a white T-shirt, her blonde hair reaching nearly to her waist. The other had Panacea's robes, though the hood was down. Nancy mentally patted her power on the back. It had been right, Taylor _had_ somehow managed to convince Panacea to come and look her over. How in the hell she'd managed that was scary to consider.

"Jeez, you weren't kidding when you said she was skittish," Panacea muttered.

"Sn-Coil really messed with her head," Taylor said. Her voice was soft, and her hands were clenched into fists at her side. "Nancy? They're here to help. I'm going to be right here, okay?"

Nancy swallowed, forcing down a full-body shiver and managed to scoot a few inches away from the wall and stick her head out of the blanket fort.

"Vicky, I seriously doubt this girl can hurt me. You can wait downstairs. Distract her dad if he comes back early."

"Dad never comes back early," Taylor murmured. "He comes back late, but never early."

"Are you sure, Ames?" Glory Girl asked. She was frowning as she stared at Nancy. "I might be able to help…maybe hit her with a blast of my aura or something?"

"…Probably not a good idea. We wouldn't want her to get dependent on it."

_Good cheer from Glory Girl's emotion manipulation aura would be beneficial for recovery. Panacea's movement towards Glory Girl at mention of aura manipulation implies desire for it as well. Panacea's denial and specific wording implies first hand knowledge of aura dependence. Panacea is dependent on aura._

Well that was just _fantastic_. Two addicts sitting in a room. There was probably a bad joke in this somewhere. If she could think better she could come up with something suitably ironic and amusing.

Not that she'd be able to share it with anyone, but it was the thought that counted.

"Nancy, I'm going to touch your hand now to start healing you. You aren't really in a position to be able to give consent at the moment, so Insect Girl has done so for you. Try to relax."

Nancy just shut her eyes and nodded. She pulled the blankets down enough to be able to slip an arm out. Panacea's hand was cold against her clammy skin.

"Kidneys are damaged, but working, liver is shutting down, blood toxicity is high, hormones are way out of balance, Christ her body is eating itself. Whatever Coil gave her it wasn't just Crystal Sand. I've seen Crystal Sand detox and it doesn't leave someone this bad."

"Can you help her?" Taylor's voice was soft enough that Nancy could barely hear her.

"My sister can heal anyone. If they're alive, she can fix them."

"Do you have any food here, Insect Girl? She doesn't have enough raw material in her body for me to work with right now. I need building blocks if I'm going to be able to do anything. Anything would work, but things high in protein would be best. Meat, fish, eggs, nuts, I'll take whatever you have."

"We have a lot of eggs, and some ground beef. I can go make something. Give me 10 minutes, I'll be right back!"

Panacea frowned as she met Nancy's eyes while Taylor started running for the door. Her gaze narrowed and she looked at their joined hands, her eyes flicking towards Taylor. Her lips curled into a scowl as she sucked in a breath.

_Not a healer. Healer secondary application. Building blocks implies that she doesn't need you to ingest or process the food. She just needs access to it. Biological manipulator, not healer. Does not want to advertise true nature of abilities. Deep seated frustration with powers. Frustration over use of powers. Wants to use powers to full extent. No excuse prior. Your situation is providing an excuse. A push either way can tip the balance._

Nancy whimpered, squeezing Panacea's hand. She didn't even have to fake the shudder that ran through her.

"Fuck. Hey, Insect Girl. Don't cook anything. I don't want to wait longer than necessary. Too much of her body is shutting down. Just bring the stuff up here and get the hell out of the room."

Taylor froze, already halfway out of the door, her hand still on the frame. She looked over her shoulder towards Panacea. "Okay. And my name…I'm going with Weaver. But you're in my house and I don't have a mask on so…It's Taylor here."

"Just bring me the stuff," Panacea sighed.

Taylor vanished, Glory Girl following after her.

Nancy looked up at Panacea, biting her tongue as she tried to ask her silent question in the way her hand squeezed the other girl's.

"I won't tell her you're a parahuman, don't worry. Doctor/patient confidentiality." Nancy let out a breath and flopped onto her back, a small smile spreading over her face. "In return, don't you dare tell anyone what I'm about to do to help you. If you do, I will come back and I will ruin your fucking life by telling that naive idiot that you're pretending to be normal. I'll probably experiment a bit and leave you as some sort of human insect hybrid as an ironic revenge too. You screw me over, I screw you over, got it?"

Nancy nodded.

"Also…I'm not going to be able to do anything about the talking thing. There's no biological reason for it. If you want to fix that, you need to find an actual doctor or therapist."

She sighed and turned to stare at the wall. Lifting her other hand out of the blankets she gave the biokinetic a thumbs up.

"I'm not going to be coming back here. You're probably still going to have cravings for whatever he fed you. That girl can only do so much. You should, you should really go to the PRT." Nancy bit her tongue again and she could _feel_ as Panacea stopped the convulsions from wracking her body. "If you're that scared of the ones in this city, go to the ones in Boston, or New York. But you really shouldn't keep doing this to that girl. She has no idea what she's getting into and you're both going to end up getting hurt if she keeps trying to take care of you on her own."

_Panacea is trying to help. Panacea is not interested in holding the hand of a new hero or cleaning up after a potential villain._

Nancy knew that what Panacea was saying was the smart thing to do. It was probably even the right thing. Yet…Taylor was her…friend. Right? That was why Taylor was doing this for her wasn't it?

Had she ever really had a friend who would guilt trip the best healer in the country into making a house call? Sarah had had associates - people who talked with her, laughed with her, hung out with her. But they had only ever really cared about her because of her family's money or the booze she could get them. Lisa had never really known anyone long enough to have a friend.

Nancy though…Taylor was Nancy's friend. Right?

It would be best to go to the PRT in a different city. It would be best for everyone. It would be best to stay away.

But there was no guarantee that they would actually be able to help her. Or even to understand her - to take the time to understand her. To understand that she _could_ talk, she just…couldn't…talk.

And if she went to the PRT in a different city…then she would never see her friend again.

This was fine. She would be fine. Taylor would be fine.

This was fine.


	6. Recovery 1-2

**Recovery 1-2**

"Are you feeling better?"

Nancy nodded at Taylor's question. This time the smile she gave the brunette was genuine. As far as she could tell it didn't even look like a grimace either.

Plus one for improvements. At this rate, maybe she'd be able to go on a secluded drive to the mountains by next Christmas. Not that she had a license. Though it's not like that would stop her. How hard could it be to drive a car anyway?

"Panacea - um, Amy I guess - said that you need to eat a lot for the next few days. So I made double. We have about another 30 minutes before my Dad gets home. If you don't finish, that's fine, we can just take it upstairs."

Nancy shoved another forkful of lasagna into her mouth. This really was great, even if it was slightly burnt on the bottom.

"Maybe I should get a bit more. Just to be safe. I'll get more."

Nancy reached over and grabbed Taylor's hand before she could leave the table. Taylor looked at their joined hands and sighed. Nancy let go and patted her hand, then pointed at Taylor's own untouched dish.

"I should…really probably wait to eat with Dad. He'll wonder why I made lasagna if I don't at least make an effort to sit with him."

_Lasagna has sentimental meaning for the family. Taylor has avoided mentioning her mother. Likely a dish her mother made frequently. Mother's recent death is probable cause of Taylor and her father's distance._

Nancy stood and after rummaging in the cabinet for a moment, she held up her prize. Taylor's eyebrows lifted, but she held her tongue. Nancy, in contrast, shoveled some of the remaining dish onto a new plate, wrapped it with her pilfered foil, then took Taylor's food and wrapped that as well. Finally, she moved a smaller portion onto a free plate and held it out to Taylor.

Taylor's smile actually reached her eyes this time. "Okay, just a little bit."

As they ate, Nancy let the tension in her shoulders bleed out. Panacea had kept her word, she hadn't told Taylor about how _useful_ Nancy could be. She had healed the physical symptoms, collected her sister, and left. She had, however, left her number with Taylor and, unless Nancy was very off her mark, a quiet word in the ear about New Wave.

New Wave would actually be a good idea for Taylor. She had the disposition for it. And while she couldn't fly, she could have a form of localized omniscience to a decent range. Few people - barring a Stranger - would really be able to get the drop on Taylor unless she was sleeping. Maybe not even then if part of her mind stayed aware of the signals that the insects around her were providing. You really couldn't ask for a better early warning system. No one would be coming after her out of costume like with Fleur.

Unless they used a sniper from range. Like Coil preferred.

Nancy dropped her fork and clenched her fists in her lap, her eyes squeezing shut as she pushed and pushed at the image of Taylor bleeding out on the asphalt from a hole in her head while insects dropped around her and masked men surged from the side streets towards Nancy as she clutched at the cooling corpse. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. She couldn't breathe and she couldn't -

"Nancy? Nancy!"

She sucked in a gasping breath, her eyes flying open. Taylor was staring at her, eyes locked on hers, her hands clamped on Nancy's shoulders. Nancy shuddered, shaking away the remnants of the image.

Everything was fine. She was fine.

She tried to smile again, but it didn't fool either of them.

"I don't have to stay down here. I can sit upstairs with you. The laptop sucks, but it has a cd drive and I can bring a movie up. Dad would understand."

Nancy shook her head. She gently pushed Taylor back and held up an arm to flex her non-existent bicep.

"I'd be more convinced if you hadn't just had a flashback," Taylor sighed.

Not a flashback. Flashforward.

She ruthlessly squashed that thought with a twitch of her lip and a prick of a fingernail against her palm. Instead, she gestured to the lasagna dish, raising her eyebrows.

"Hmm? Oh. It was my mom's specialty. I've never quite gotten it the same as hers, but it's still decent. One of the few things I can cook."

The burned bottom did put a question mark over that statement, but food was food and Nancy's stomach was not complaining. She patted Taylor's hand careful to avoid letting anything except pleasure show on her face. She also surreptitiously wiped the spot blood away from before Taylor could notice it.

She must have been at least partially successful since Taylor brightened up.

Then the sound of a truck rolling up interrupted anything that the brunette was going to say. Taylor's eyes widened as she looked to the kitchen window. "Dammit. Go upstairs! I'll clean up. I'll be up in about 15 minutes."

Nancy nodded, and hurried to the staircase. She glanced back just long enough to see Taylor rinsing off their plates in the sink, before she ran up to their room. No. Taylor's room. She was a visitor. A sleepover buddy. A friend. A guest.

" _You'll be a guest here for a time, Miss Livsey. I do hope you come to appreciate the accommodations. The electricity for all of these screens is rather expensive after all."_

* * *

Sarah didn't know how long she stayed curled up in the corner of the room. Long enough to be able to breathe. Not long enough to remember why that was important. Long enough to remember that Sarah wasn't her name anymore. Not long enough to remember what her name was. Long enough to crave the liquid wonder. Not long enough to rationalize the urge away.

The door opened and she flinched further back into the corner, plastering herself against the wood. Whenever the door opened Master or Pitter came. They brought demands or questions or the cursed liquid wonder and they -

"Sonofa -"

Taylor.

She wasn't in the poisoned cage with the white walls. She was in Taylor's room, in Taylor's house. Taylor had saved her, had gotten her help, stopped her from dying.

_Taylor is safety._

Nancy lifted her head, even as Taylor dropped down beside her and wrapped her arms around her. Nancy leaned into the taller girl, letting her forehead rest against Taylor's shoulder. She didn't move until Taylor shifted. She felt one arm behind her back, and another under her legs.

"Try not to squirm. I've only recently started working out, I'm not exactly super strong here," she murmured.

Nancy chuckled, face still buried in the crook of Taylor's neck. It came out more of a strained whimpering hacking sound that could probably be called a cough on a good day. Taylor seemed to get the point as she made an amused snort back. The ground fell away a moment later as Taylor stood. She walked the few paces to the bed and gently set Nancy down near the wall, next to the pillow.

She let Taylor go as Taylor pulled back enough to grab her laptop and move it to the bed. Then the girl climbed back up next to her and wrapped an arm around Nancy's shoulder letting her rest her head against her again as the movie started to play.

"I told Dad that I would watch a movie and do some homework. I think he's heading to bed early; he…really liked the lasagna and I think he needed some time alone. If you want to shower again when this is over that should be fine. If not, that's fine too."

Nancy nodded.

"I thought we should go for something funny and upbeat. Something to maybe take your mind off of things. Have you ever seen _The Princess Bride_?"

That she hadn't seen it was inconceivable!

Not that she could say that.

She sighed, wiggling closer to Taylor as Westley and Buttercup started making moon eyes at each other. What kind of stupid name was Buttercup anyway, who names their kid that? People who hate their kid that's who.

The irony of a princess being saved by a dark-clad Rogue from an evil would-be despot was not lost on her - though it was probably lost on Taylor.

Double ironic, since Taylor had just Princess-carried her and everything.

 _Taylor is safety_.

Yes, power, she was. Which was going to make this all the worse when the castle inevitable crumbled and Taylor found out about her secret.


	7. Recovery 2-2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Very short chapter but there is another one that should be soon which will be a longer one.

**Recovery** **2-2**

I laid the blanket over Nancy as she curled up, her breathing slow and quiet. Slipping out of the bed I moved the laptop back onto my desk, shutting it down. Casting one last glance over my shoulder to make sure she was still asleep, I headed to the bathroom. Splashing water on my face, I swallowed hard and stared at myself in the mirror.

"Princess Bride. What the hell were you thinking Taylor? A damsel in distress saved by a hero who looks like a villain who's also secretly in love with her? She's already clingy, now she's going to get ideas!"

Ideas that were actually somewhat appealing in a vaguely horrifying way.

This was awful. Nancy was the first person I had helped. The only person I had helped. I had taken her _home_ with me! I was devoting all of my time to her. Was I going to get this attached to everyone I tried to help? Was I going to put my hero career on hold every night I tried to go on patrol and came across a damsel in need of saving? That wasn't how this was supposed to work! I was supposed to call someone to pick up my savees, not take them home and devote myself to helping them! I wasn't supposed to let them sleep in my bed or hope they understood it was safe to talk to me and that I wasn't going to hurt them. I wasn't supposed to get emotionally invested! I wasn't supposed to be the Dread Pirate Roberts, I was supposed to be Inigo Montoya!

Maybe I lost my own internal metaphor somewhere along the line…

Did I even care? She needed my help. She didn't have anyone, she had been kidnapped and torn to pieces by a sadistic bastard, and was barely holding herself together. She was obviously hiding whatever powers she had and she -

Oh, wait. "I can work with that. Yeah…I can work with that."

"Taylor? Are you in there?"

"Yeah, Dad. Give me a moment." I wiped off the remaining water and cracked the door. "What's going on? I was getting ready for bed."

"I just wanted to make sure that everything was okay. Again."

I shut my eyes and counted to three. "Now? I'm in the bathroom, Dad. I already said earlier that I just felt like making a nice dinner instead of more sandwiches or pasta. Prove I _can_ make lasagna."

"I know. I just…I know."

I sighed. "I'm fine, Dad."

"The school called the office today. They said you weren't in."

A scowl flitted across my face before I could stop it. "They never cared enough to report it beforehand. Now that I'm the troublemaking bitch who stuffed herself into her own locker for attention all of a sudden they care about my attendance. Got it."

"Taylor, that's not what I -"

"I'll go tomorrow."

"Taylor -"

"Goodnight Dad." I shut the door and leaned against it, breathing in short gasps. I didn't even have to listen to my bugs to hear my father shuffle around outside in the hallway for a few seconds before moving off to his own room.

"God. Damn. Fucking. _Winslow_."

I didn't need to go to Winslow. I didn't want to go to Winslow. I didn't want to deal with the Trio.

I wanted to stay and help the girl who actually needed me. Who actually wanted me around.

Who actually wanted me…

Shit.


	8. Recovery 1-3

**Recovery 1-3**

The phone rang. Nancy hissed, holding a hand to her neck as she rubbed at it. Stupid muscles. The human body was badly designed. Other animals turned their heads fast, humans should be able to do the same.

Unfolding herself from the couch and muting the TV, she stepped across the living room to grab the phone off of the kitchen wall. This was stupid. She shouldn't be answering the phone. Whoever was on the other end would know that there was someone home once she answered the phone.

Except it could be Taylor. And the Heberts didn't seem to have an answering machine. Because apparently Danny Hebert was a freaking technological dinosaur. She was going to have to get them more funds. Just a bit of hacking while Taylor was gone and she should be able to get them _something_ through the stocks that wouldn't trigger alarm bells in the Thinker coteries. Either that or she could drain funds from the Empire or ABB. They weren't all that well protected really and if she was careful, Taylor and Danny would never even realize that their accounts had increased by a small sum. Not much, just enough so that she wasn't a freeloader. They'd never have to know that she was being useful. It would be a secret.

The phone was in her hand and her mouth was dry. She tried to clear her throat, but she couldn't draw air into her lungs.

"Taylor, hey! Glad you picked up, girl. I wasn't sure if I was going to get you at your lunch break or not. I figured you went to either Immaculata or Winslow and I have no idea what their schedules are. So I've been talking to my aunt, and while she's being pretty tyrannical over the whole 'accountability' thing, if you wanted to just _hang out_ we could totally do that."

Nancy bit her tongue, squeezing her hand around the receiver. Victoria. Glory Girl. Calling here. Calling Taylor.

_Taylor gave her her number before they left. Vicky believed that it was a cell phone. Believes she is talking to Taylor. Will shortly grow concerned with continued silence if situation is not resolved._

"Taylor? You there?"

Nancy tried to whisper a soft, 'No', but her throat closed up and she only succeeded in gasping and coughing.

"Taylor is everything okay? Are you hurt? Are you in danger? Knock once for yes, twice for no."

That she could do. Nancy reached over to the wall, holding the receiver close and knocked twice. She heard a heavy sigh on the other end.

"Okay. Well that's good. But I don't understand, why can't you…Oh, oh _crap_. Is this _Nancy_?"

She rapped once, sending a clear echo into the phone.

"Oh. Damn, I'm sorry. I assumed Taylor gave me her cell, not her house number. I'm really sorry, Nancy. You can't talk right?"

She shut her eyes, baring her teeth at the empty house. _Fucking_ _ **Coil**_.

Two knocks later, Vicky was sighing. "I'm sorry. This is just making things uncomfortable for you I'm guessing. Look, I'll call back later. Actually, uh, are you able to take a message for Taylor? If this is her house phone I don't want to call later and get her in trouble with her dad."

Nancy knocked once.

"Thanks. Just tell her that my aunt is being firm on 'no masks' if she does decide to join. But that doesn't mean that she can't call me to go on patrol or something even if she doesn't want to do anything official. I have some experience in this city and the last thing I want is for a new player to get hurt because she's going out alone without backup. Just make sure she knows that she can call me the next time she goes out, okay?"

Taylor had powers. Taylor would be going out again. It was inevitable. She would go out and she would get noticed and Coil would find out and when he realized she didn't have a team he would send men after her and he would find her and he would force her to use her omniscience for him and he would -

"Nancy?"

She sucked in a breath, shaking her head. Knocking three times, she followed it up with one knock.

"…I'm going to assume that means 'sorry' and then 'yes'. Are you okay? Do you need me or Amy to come over?"

She knocked once, then twice.

"Okay. Alright, well, take down my number just in case alright?" She rattled off her phone number just before a bell rang in the background. "Crap, I gotta get back to class. Call me if something happens. Bye!"

The line went dead and Nancy hung up the phone. She stared at it for a few seconds. Her lips pulling back into a snarl as she kept glaring at the offending instrument. She couldn't even answer a goddamn _phone_. What the _fuck_ was she supposed to do?! She couldn't talk without having a panic attack, she couldn't type out a letter, she couldn't write out a message to someone, she couldn't even gasp out a _two letter word over the fucking phone_!

She slammed her fist into the wall with a deep, guttural growl.

Then she whimpered as pain radiated up her arm from her knuckles.

Fuck.

* * *

"I'm home," Taylor's weary call sounded as the front door closed. Nancy shifted on the couch, smiling back and lifting her hand in a wave, careful to keep her bandaged one on the laptop. As she caught sight of Taylor's dripping hair and wet, red, clothes, her smile dropped away, replaced by a scowl.

Taylor saw her watching and dropped her gaze to the floor. "I'm going to go and…take a shower. I'll be down in a few minutes to make us some food. Didn't get much to eat anyway and you still need to keep eating more than normal."

Nancy pushed the laptop to the side, her research abandoned as she moved to Taylor's side, eyes narrowed to slits.

_Fruit juice and soda. Backpack is wet as well. Taylor's back is not as wet; was wearing backpack at time of attack. Gum and spitballs in hair. Taylor is close to dropping out of school entirely due to continual harassment. Taylor did not skip today because of discussion with Father from last night. Taylor does not want to draw attention as she is worried it will lead to your discovery. She will protect you over herself._

Nancy bit her lip. Taylor tried to avoid her gaze and kept staring at the floor. "It's not a problem, really. Just some kids at school." She gasped, her eyes widening. "Your hand! What happened?! Are you - mhphmh!"

Taylor devolved into muffled grunts and mumbles as Nancy stepped forward on her toes and hugged the taller girl. She pulled Taylor against her as tight as she could until her toes burned from the pain of holding the position.

"…Thanks," Taylor murmured, her breath warm against her neck. Nancy stepped back, nodding and smiling, holding her arms out wide to either side. Taylor nodded back, a bit of life back in her expression. "I really do need to go get cleaned up. You should change your shirt. I got you dirty now."

Nancy just shrugged, rolling her eyes and shooing Taylor up the stairs. She caught Taylor's eyes finding the dent in the wall next to the phone, but the brunette didn't say anything about it, as they both went to change.

* * *

Taylor looked over her hand as Nancy typed with her left. The laptop was slow enough that the loss of one limb didn't noticeably affect her speed. She'd had better equipment in elementary school.

"It doesn't feel like anything is broken." Nancy nodded. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

She sighed and turned the laptop to the side. The rise and fall of Emma Barnes - Model And Traitor was getting boring anyway. Finding Taylor's horror notebook hadn't been hard and it had thankfully given Nancy the names of her primary targets.

It wasn't going to be hard to destroy the first girl at all. All she had to do was send off a few emails from her account, spill several pilfered images, and make some carefully calculated social media posts to ensure that 'Emma' accidentally publicly implicated Madison as 'Specific Protagonist' in a virtual spat that would take the other girl down as well. Madison really should never have written that…filth. It was good filth, but it was still nothing that was fit for the masses. Emma and Madison would be pariahs amongst their 'friends' in a day - maybe two - tops. It's just a shame that destroying Sophia was shaping up to be a whole separate project. Pointing a social worker at Emma's father would just be icing on the cake really and ensure that her school life _and_ home life all crumbled around her at once.

But _should_ she do it? That sort of operation was a _Lisa_ thing, not so much a _Nancy_ one…When she had been Sarah, she had never cared about people either way. When she had - briefly - been Lisa, she had wanted to fuck with people, hurt them - it's what her powers had seemed designed for…Nancy though…Nancy would stay quiet, stay safe, not stick her neck out where anyone could potentially see her fingers at work from the shadows. But…these bitches had hurt Taylor.

She'd think about it for the night and decide in the morning.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Shaking her head, and refocusing on the conversation, Nancy lifted her free hand to point at the phone on the wall, but before she could continue with her gestures, Taylor snorted. "I got that you got angry with the phone. Why did you get angry with the phone?"

Nancy glared at her. After a moment, she rolled her eyes, then retrieved her other hand and mimed a crown around her head.

Taylor frowned. "I don't get it. Someone called, but what is that supposed to be?"

Nancy sighed. Thrusting one of her hands through the air, she looked back at Taylor with a raised eyebrow. "Someone who can fly? But what was, oh it was a _tiara_! Okay, so Glory Girl called. Why would that get you…you answered and got frustrated that you couldn't talk to her…"

She nodded. Tapping her throat she swiped a hand across it and scowled hard, then glared at her aching hand.

"It's okay." Taylor reached down and held the bandaged limb, careful not to squeeze and cause more pain. "Even if you don't end up being able to talk again, this is fine. We can still communicate! This works. It's not a problem at all."

Nancy looked away brushing away a bit of dust from her eye as she swallowed hard.

"What did Gl-uh, Vicky, want?"

Nancy held up two fingers and mimed walking with them.

"She wanted to go on patrol with me?! Oh, _wow_. That's…wow."

Nancy nodded. She looked resolutely at the laptop on the table. Taylor would be fine. It wasn't her place to ask her to stay just because she was scared. Taylor would be fine. If she wanted to go out, she should be able to go out. Powers wanted to be used after all.

"You know, I think I'll take her up on that some other time. Right now I have other things I need to do. And I still need to make some food for us. How do you feel about mac and cheese?"

Nancy couldn't look at her, but she nodded enthusiastically. Not that mac and cheese could really be called 'food', but it was the thought that was worth counting not the calories. She went to grab the laptop again as Taylor shifted positions. Emma was being taken care of and Madison would fall with her. Now to focus on the last one. Sophia Hess. There was a secret there. This computer was slow as balls though, so finding it was probably going to take most of the night. Once she had it though…she was going to neuter the bitch.

"Nancy?" She looked to the side out of the corner of her eye as Taylor squeezed her arm. "You know that you can talk to me about, well, anything right?"

She nodded.

"I mean it. Really. Anything. I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going to leave. You're safe here. No matter what, you're safe here."

Nancy's breath hitched.

"You know more about me than anyone else. The only other people who know that I have powers are Amy and Vicky, but they aren't my friends. My dad doesn't even know. No one has seen me come home after school looking like - like that before. I trust you. You can trust me. So if you ever want to talk - even without _actually_ talking - I'm right here."

_Taylor is implying that she knows you are a parahuman. She is attempting connection based on mutual isolation from others. She knows that you were captured for your ability. She is offering safety and shelter and protection. She is attempting assurance that she will not abuse ability. That she will not bring up ability unless you bring it up first. Taylor is ally. Taylor is safety. Taylor is friend._

Nancy didn't need her power to tell her that. She didn't need her power to tell her that at all.

It was so hard to breathe, her throat was closed and the world was narrowed to a pinprick in front of her eyes. Her fist was clenched, but not hard enough to leave any marks.

Taylor was her friend.

Taylor was her dark-clad rogue, her knight in scary armor.

If she couldn't trust this girl with a secret that Taylor already knew…she would never be able to trust anyone ever again.

Nancy didn't want to be Sarah anymore. She didn't want to be Lisa. She didn't want to be a broken, dead, shell of a _thing_ who could only beg and pray for whatever scraps her Master deigned to provide.

Taylor started to get up from the couch. Nancy's hand shot out and gripped the other girl's wrist. She twisted, entwining her fingers with the brunette and pulling her back down. Taylor didn't make a sound. Nancy bit her tongue. She couldn't say it. She _couldn't_.

But…maybe…she could…show it.

Using her free hand, she pushed the laptop enough to show the screen to Taylor.

"Sophia…? I never told you the names of the Trio…"

Nancy couldn't breathe, but she could still move. She reached up to tap her forehead twice.

The living room was silent for only another second before Nancy felt Taylor pulling her closer and wrapping her into a deep, strong hug. The scent of strawberry shampoo filled her nose and the shea butter soap reminded her of home.

"I swear to you, Nancy, no one is _ever_ going to use your mind against you ever again."

Taylor's shoulder was warm and strong and soft. It was good that Nancy's rogue didn't care that she was bawling into her shoulder.


	9. Recovery 1-4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Happy New Year! Here's hoping that 2021 is less of a gut punch. This is the last of the Recovery chapters, next chapter will be the long awaited, and much discussed, Danny Interlude!

**Recovery 1-4**

"Okay, I'm heading out."

Nancy hurriedly shoved the laptop off of her thighs and jumped over the back of the couch. Taylor had just started to pull the door open when Nancy skidded past and slammed it closed again. Taylor raised an eyebrow.

"I can stay here. I don't mind skipping at all; god knows I'll have a better time staying home and playing charades or watching movies with you than I would dealing with the Trio's bullshit. But you couldn't have mentioned something before I got showered and dressed? I could've slept in!"

Nancy rolled her eyes and patted the air. She scrambled back to the couch as Taylor snorted and leaned against the wall. Returning with her prize and a large grin, she shoved the camera into Taylor's hands.

Taylor stared down at the camera, then looked back up to Nancy. "You have totally and completely lost me."

Nancy held up three fingers, lowered one, then swiped her hand across her throat. Grinning wider, she pointed at the camera and mimed a few photos.

"Oookkkayy. Take photos. Got it."

Nancy sighed. She grabbed Taylor's hand and pulled her over to the couch. Pointing to the laptop she held up two fingers again and swiped them across her neck.

Taylor's eyes widened as she stared at the screen. "You're researching Sophia. No, this isn't research, you're _hacking_ Sophia's stuff. So, oh. Two down." Taylor glanced down to the camera in her hand, then her eyes slowly panned up to meet Nancy's and her grin widened. "I'll get _all_ the photos."

Nancy gave her two thumbs up and then shooed her friend out the door.

* * *

A few hours later Nancy scowled at the computer screen in front of her, the bottle of painkillers on the tabletop forgotten for the moment. No matter how hard she glared, the data didn't go away. She'd been able to get enough confirmation between Emma's phone, Sophia's phone, cross referenced absences and public appearances to confirm it. Her power wasn't giving her garbage data.

Sophia Hess, was a fucking _Ward_.

This was arguably a good thing. Removing Hess from Taylor's life would be incredibly simple now. At least, it would be if the PRT wanted to keep their image clean. If they wanted to keep their rehabilitation poster girl instead…then they could already be involved and helping the coverup along behind the scenes. It may not just be the specific case worker being lazy or wanting to line her pockets. It may be systemic.

Coil was involved with the PRT, it was always going to be systemic.

Nancy took in a deep breath and let it out slow, shaking her head. No. Coil wasn't involved. This was beneath Coil's notice and if he _had_ been involved already, he would've flipped Shadow Stalker to work for him from the shadows.

_Coil knows that Shadow Stalker is a problem child from his civilian life. Coil does not know about her civilian cover ups. Shadow Stalker would have been an operative and you would have been assisting her prior to escape if he knew._

Nancy winced as her brain beat on her skull. Thanks, power, she had already figured that out. The confirmation was nice though. At least her power agreed with her.

Okay, so Sophia was a loose cannon Ward torturing a student without PRT oversight because her handler was a lazy bitch and the principal wanted kickbacks more than justice. Okay.

So…did she release this information? Did she release that a _Ward_ was targeting a student? Sending it out in a wide net would definitely get rid of Hess, but as much as she personally despised the bitch, she _was_ a fellow cape…

So was Taylor now too, thanks to Hess.

Nancy's lips curled. She leaned down, setting up dummy accounts and false paths through the routers. It would be best to release this email from somewhere else entirely, but going outside was out of the question. She'd just have to settle for switching to piggy-backing off of a neighbor's wifi and obscuring her tracks.

* * *

"I'm home. Nancy? Are you - oh, hey! You won't believe what happened today." Taylor ran up to her and grabbed her hands. If Taylor's smile had been any wider it would have been sparkling. "So Madison was nearly laughed out of every class she walked into as people started quoting some smut works at her. I would never have guessed that 'cute and adorable' Madison was such a pervert! I got some photos of the first few times when she ran away. I actually read some of those stories, they're well written…She can probably come back from this honestly, but she won't be on top of the social circle anymore that's for sure."

Nancy nodded and retrieved her hand to wave for Taylor to go on.

"And Emma was _run out of the school_! It was _amazing_! What did you _do_?"

Nancy shrugged, her own smile spreading. Moving her hand from side to side, she shrugged again.

"Well whatever it was, it was a masterpiece."

Nancy bowed slightly.

"Oh! Before I forget, I need to give you something. I picked it up on my way back home." Taylor dropped her backpack and rummaged around in it for a moment before pulling out two small boxes. Biting her lip, Taylor thrust one towards Nancy, leaving the second on the table by the door. "This is a cell phone. I got one for myself too. It's prepaid, but it's not like you're going to call random people for hours anyway. I just wanted you to have something just in case. For, you know, when I'm not here. If something happens. Not that it will, but just in case. This model has two extra panic buttons. One links directly the PRT - I know you don't trust them, but in a worst case scenario it wouldn't hurt. The other is programmable. I already linked it to my number."

Nancy bit her lip as she gently took the phone from Taylor.

_Taylor is avoiding looking at the phone as much as she can. No cell phones in the home. Cell phones are linked to trauma, but not trauma from school. Cell phone linked to trauma from mother. Mother died while using a cell phone._

Nancy swallowed hard. She wrapped her arms around Taylor and hugged her as tightly as she could.

"Please don't be afraid to call me if something happens or if you just get scared or worried. You don't have to be able to talk to call me. Just tap something and I'll come right back okay? We can come up with some sort of signal system to use tonight."

Nancy nodded against Taylor's shoulder. She pulled back from the hug, taking the phone from the box and slipping it into the pocket of her jeans.

"Oh, uh, on a different note, I'm guessing that you ended up getting something on Sophia? I thought she was going to kill someone by the time we got to lunch, but then she was pulled from the afternoon classes." Taylor paused and cocked her head to the side. "Some of the guys in the gangs were staring at her as she left though. Like…really staring. Like they wanted to hurt her."

Nancy sighed. She nodded and moved back to the couch. Pulling out the laptop she pulled up a news story that she had queued for just this situation. Taylor bent over her shoulder and started to read. She barely got through the first lines before she was gasping and grabbing at Nancy's shoulders, leaning closer to the screen.

"That psycho bitch was a _Ward_?! What the _fuck_?!" Nancy paged down and Taylor read aloud, "'The evidence has been provided to the local PRT ENE about the prolonged campaign directed by one of their Wards against a local student. Such malicious and targeted vitriol in an effort this protracted is more indicative of the worst of the villains found in Brockton Bay. Hookwolf could very well take notes from this. We at News 12 extend our thoughts and prayers to the victim. The school district has already responded with a -' Blackwell's been fired too?!"

Nancy nodded. She pulled away from Taylor, letting her friend skim through the rest of the article. "Holy shit…The PRT issued a statement too…violation of parole…juvie…failure of multiple safeguards…complete overhaul of oversight procedures…" Taylor gaped at the screen. "I get that you're a Thinker, Nancy, but oh my god - in one night, in one _morning_ \- how did you _do_ this?"

She snapped her fingers and Taylor looked up at her. Leaning over, Nancy knocked down the dominos she had set up on the tabletop. They fell over in a neat little row, all leading from a crude drawing of a phone - one with multiple scratches and blemishes along its edges as the pencil had slipped and skipped through shaking hands.

"Dominos," Taylor murmured, swallowing hard. "Dominos from a phone. She kept evidence on there didn't she? Not just of things they did to me. Things she did while she was being a Ward, things that she wasn't supposed to be doing. And you got into her records and sent them to the station to make sure that it couldn't be buried."

Nancy nodded.

"That's why you stayed up so late."

She nodded again.

"You drew that?"

Nancy shut her eyes, turning her head to the side. She clenched her hand into a fist and let out a slow breath. She could breathe. She could breathe. It was fine. She was fine.

She nodded a third time.

"Nancy, I…I don't know what to say…" They fell into silence. It lasted long enough that Nancy was able to loosen her fingers again and shake life back into the digits. She had almost decided to get up to make them dinner when Taylor whispered, "Why?"

Nancy's head snapped towards Taylor, eyes wide and mouth gaping. The girl was sitting on the couch, head hanging as she stared at nothing, her hand running over the pathetic drawing that Nancy had barely been able to force herself to create. "I don't…Why? I'm not…I'm nobody. Why do…all this…for _me_?"

_Terror campaign was more successful than Taylor realized. Internalized feelings of negative self-worth. Taylor will take care of you until she dies. Taylor is no longer capable of understanding why anyone would take care of her in return._

Well. Fuck that shit. Her power was wrong sometimes and it was wrong this time. It had the right idea, but the wrong extremes. Taylor was hurt, but that _not_ hurt. She would bounce back. She would bounce back better than Nancy was, that was for damn sure!

Now how to explain that?

Nancy knelt in front of Taylor, she pulled the pad from Taylor's hands. The brunette looked at her, unshed tears in her eyes. Nancy smiled, then pointed between the two of them, waggling her finger back and forth. She took one of Taylor's hands, closed it into a fist and laid her open hand over it with a strong nod, then she dropped Taylor's other hand over hers and laid her right hand on top.

"Stuck together?"

Nancy retrieved her hands and waved one in the air in a 'so-so' gesture. She shrugged and eventually nodded. It was close enough, it would do.

"But -"

Nancy held a finger to Taylor's lips. She pulled out the horror notebook from under the pillow at the side of the couch. Taylor swallowed, but stayed silent. Nancy flipped to the beginning, back to when Taylor was still hoping that Emma would wake up and be her friend again. Nancy pointed to Emma's name, waited for Taylor to nod, and then showed an exaggerated snarl. She waited long enough for Taylor to nod again. Then she pointed to one, specific, word.

"…Friend…"

Nancy nodded. Taylor sniffled, but before she could move, Nancy stood and held up a finger. "And more?" She nodded again. Nancy hurried to the armchair and grabbed the bag from behind it.

"You were prepared…"

Nancy glanced towards her and snorted, tapping her head. Smirking at Taylor's small smile, she finished getting out the welder's mask she'd found in the basement and the play sword she had found deep in Taylor's closet. Brushing aside the mild shudder from the reminder of delving into the basement, she slipped the mask over her head and took a stance, the sword held to her chest. She turned it, pretending to stab it into the floor as she knelt, head down. Then she lifted her head and held the sword, hilt out, to Taylor.

Taylor was blushing enough that her face was red as a tomato. It was rather adorable actually.

"Uh. Are you saying that, um, you're my knight?"

Nancy lifted the welder's mask and eyed Taylor, sword still extended.

"That, _I'm_ , uh, _your_ knight?"

More like 'rogue', but close enough. Nancy slowly nodded trying to resist the urge to chuckle as Taylor's blush - impossibly - deepened.

"Oh."

She waggled the sword.

"Well, I uh, I suppose I did save you. But you saved me too. Today I mean. With the Trio. So…we can be each other's knights?"

Nancy shook her head and waggled the sword again.

"…I'm not going to get to live this down if I accept am I?"

Nancy's smile widened. She dropped the welder's mask back into place, pushing the sword almost into Taylor's lap.

"For someone who doesn't talk, you are incredibly pushy, Nancy. Okay, fine, I accept, I'll be your white knight." Taylor took the sword from her and Nancy jumped up, shooting both arms into the air. She turned in a quick circle as she celebrated, then she fell on Taylor in a tight hug.

"Though, honestly, considering my hero costume, I think I'm more of a dark knight. Wait, those are usually evil…Greg mentioned this before…What were the sneaky ones in those games? Rogues? I think I'm more of a dark rogue than a white knight."

Nancy smirked, dropping the mask to the side as she curled up on Taylor's lap. Strange minds really did think alike.


	10. Interlude D1

**Interlude D1**

Danny felt his back crack as he shrugged out of his coat, trying to get it onto the hanger without moving too much. It was a lost cause. He was getting too old and this city was too cold this time of year. Between the general aches of growing older and his more specific brand of frustrations and annoyances - he really needed to eat better - his back was never going to feel right again.

Finally getting the coat hung, he grunted. There was a wrapped plate for him sitting next to the microwave. Taylor was too good to him. She shouldn't be taking care of him, it was a father's job to take care of his child. She hadn't used to cook this much, or make this many leftovers. Had he been spacing out more? Forgetting to eat? Forgetting to make _her_ food? Did she feel like she needed to make something for him just so that the both of them would get something?

Maybe if he had come home earlier he could have asked her. But things had been so busy. He hadn't even been able to call that PRT man back after they'd left a message. He'd finally been able to get the guys work after that contract for clearing some of the scrap had come in. He couldn't waste it by talking to the PRT about some gang or other that was threatening the DWU. There was always a gang rattling their sabers; if something truly dangerous was going to happen then they would have sent a hero down to the docks.

He smiled as he took the plate from the microwave. The Protectorate were stretched thin, but they were doing better. Ever since Blackout had joined up, the Wards had been doing better and word on the streets was that he was going to become a full Protectorate member in under a year. That would be good; more heroes was always a good thing and he had good synergy with a lot of the current members in the Bay. They might be able to make some actual improvements soon.

Soon, soon, it was always 'soon'. It was never 'now'. He needed to talk to Taylor, he needed to make sure she was okay, find out why she had been skipping school, if the bullying was still a problem. He needed to do it _now_ and not _soon_.

Maybe tomorrow when he got home. She'd just get angry if he woke her up to try to talk.

Moving the empty plate to the sink, Danny finished cleaning up and went to grab his bag to bring upstairs. He had just grabbed the strap and straightened up when he froze, all muscles locking up.

There was a cell phone on the hall end table.

There was a _cell phone_ on the _hall end table_.

 _There was a CELL PHONE on the HALL END TABLE_.

Danny's fingernails were digging into his palms and his breath was coming in short panting gasps as he stared at the box in front of him. His body shook as he forced down the urge to start shouting for his daughter and to throw the _phone_ into the trash and take the trash to the dumpster _right the fuck now_.

No. He couldn't do that. _He_ certainly hadn't bought the phone. So that meant it was Taylor's. And he couldn't destroy her property like that. Not without an explanation first. She was a teenager, she lived under his roof, she had to follow his rules, and they had agreed together that one of those rules was supreme: No cell phones.

He picked up the box, turned on his heel - a scowl still marring his features - and marched up the stairs.

He didn't knock as he pushed open Taylor's door, the phone box already held in front of him like the weapon it was, and his lungs already full of the air needed to shout and demand what she had been thinking.

He made it a single step into the room before the yell died in his throat and he froze a second time that night.

There was a second girl in his daughter's bed. Both were dead asleep, but both were clearly curled up against each other. Almost like how Taylor and Emma used to do in their old sleepovers…When had Emma stopped coming over? When had this girl started? Who _was_ this blonde? Why hadn't Taylor said anything about…Were they…? No, they still had their clothes on, so that was something at least. But how could she keep the fact that she had a girl _sleeping over in her bed_ from him?!

Was this why she had bought a phone? So that she could talk to this girl? But…

The blonde was wearing Taylor's shirt.

He drew in another breath to start shouting again, before his eyes widened with a further scan of the room. There were _no_ clothes on the floor or in the hamper or on the chair that weren't his daughter's. And there was no backpack or duffel back where there could be more clothes stuffed away. Maybe the blonde had put her things in the closet? But that didn't make sense at all…

Taylor had been making more food for over two weeks now. He'd barely seen her outside of one or two meals and she had been in a rush both times to get back to her room to do 'homework'. Homework for class that she apparently barely attended.

Danny's eyes narrowed to slits as he stared at the girl sleeping in his daughter's arms. Her hair was short enough to barely be more than peach fuzz. It was a small miracle he could even tell the color.

Some of the boys had complained about being harassed by mercenaries from Coil's gang two weeks ago. Mercenaries that were looking for someone.

Danny carefully backed out of the room, pulling the door shut behind him. He made it into his own bedroom before his legs turned to jelly. He barely managed to get onto the bed before his head fell into his hands, the phone box forgotten beside him.

"Did my daughter attack Coil and steal a girl from him? She's not even a cape…is she?"

He stared into his hands, dumbfounded at the memory of the girls.

"And were they _cuddling_?!"

* * *

I finished pulling on my clothes in the bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror, trying to decide if my hair was good or not. Of course it wasn't good, I had _just_ showered and I didn't really have time to do anything except blow dry it. Of course it wasn't going to be _pretty_. It did look…nice, though. It could be worse. It had been worse. It had been a lot worse recently. I usually liked what my hair naturally looked like, it was one of the only things I _did_ like about my appearance.

Maybe I should cut it now? Would Nancy like that better? Or would she think that I was drawing attention to her own short hair?

"I should just ask her," I muttered. Running a brush through it to get rid of the few tangles I nodded to myself, trying to will away the blush in my cheeks. I hadn't had a problem changing in my room until she had dubbed me her Dark Rogue and claimed my lap as her personal cushion. I _shouldn't_ have a problem with changing in front of her still. I was reading too much into things. She was hurt, she was recovering, she was just naturally clingy. That was _all_.

We were just friends.

Yeah, just friends.

"Tell that to yourself a few more times, maybe you'll believe it." I glared at my reflection and set the brush aside.

Walking back to my room, I found Nancy already up and tapping away at the laptop. It looked like she was pulling up PHO, or trying to at least. Maybe I should hit up Glory Girl and try to bust a few Merchant hideouts, I could use the money to get better internet so she wouldn't be bored waiting for a page to load all day.

She waved to me and I waved back, a smile on my face. I ignored the heat in my cheeks or the amused smirk on her lips.

Just 'friends'. Yeah, sure. Suurre.

God, how did I go from rescuing a girl in an alley to making her my live-in girlfriend?! I was a _horrible_ hero! She wasn't in any fit state to make decisions like this either - not just a horrible hero, but a horrible person too…

"I have to head to school. Remember, call me if you need anything, okay? I'll come right back."

Nancy nodded.

"I might try to call Vicky later tonight." Her eyes widened and, even though she tried to hide it, she sucked in a quick breath. "I'll be careful to stay away from Coil, I promise. But I think that if I hit the Merchants with her, things should be safe enough and I should be able to make some money from it too. Maybe, um, upgrade some equipment here?"

Nancy shook her head, scowling. She got up and nearly dived under the bed, leaving only her legs and butt still sticking out in the open. I swallowed and looked resolutely at the wall. A snap drew my eyes back to Nancy, she had pulled out a binder and flipped to one of the pages near the front, pointing at it.

I frowned, bending down to read the label of the chart. "Portfolio index. This is dad's account. I don't see what the…wait…Is that an increase since…Nancy, what did you do?"

She winced. Putting down the binder she tapped her head and then gestured weakly to the computer.

"Did you help my dad make more money?"

She held up two fingers pinched together. Then she winced and looked away, seeming to fold in on herself.

Before she could even finish curling up, I had already wrapped my arms around her and laid my chin on top of her head. Rubbing circles on her back I just held her for a few moments letting her shudders subside before I started talking. "Nancy, I really, _really_ appreciate the help. But you know that you didn't _have_ to right? You don't have to use your power to help us. I didn't help you because you had powers, I helped you because you needed help. You don't have to be useful to stay here. You're my - um - you're my _friend_. I appreciate the extra money, but you didn't have to do that and you don't have to feel guilty about it."

She pushed me back. Biting her lip, as she stared at me, she slowly shook her head.

"No? You don't feel guilty? But then why were you cringing. You -" I cut off and gasped. She had been using her power to help, but she had been doing it _in secret_.

Coil had been using her for her power, hadn't he? She was terrified of contacting the PRT in case word got back to him - or maybe - in case _they_ used her for her power. And now she had used her power for _me_ and _told me_.

She winced, glancing down at the ground, nodding once. Huh? Oh, Thinker, right.

I squeezed one of her hands and gently lifted her chin back up with my other hand. "Nancy, I'll say it as many times as I have to. I will _never_ use you for your power. And I will _never_ let _anyone_ else do that either."

She sniffled. Her mouth opened and I could see her tongue and lips starting to shape a word. My eyes widened and I just held her hand tighter.

Then she gasped, her mouth slamming shut again, her eyes screwing tight, and her fingers clamping around mine in a grip tight enough to leave me numb. Violently shaking her head, she collapsed into me, her free hand clutching at my shirt and her head resting against my shoulder as she silently sobbed.

"Shh, it's okay, it's okay. You don't have to talk. I get it, I get it."

Nancy shook her head.

"I do. You trust me, that's what you were going to say, right?"

She sniffled, her cries quieting. After what felt like an eternity, she nodded.

"See, I'm getting better at reading you. You _don't_ have to talk if you're not ready. That's _fine_. And I know that you flinching before was just a knee-jerk reaction. I know that you trust me. I _am_ your Dark Rogue after all, right?" I said, finishing with a smile.

Nancy pulled back again, her tongue caught between her teeth as she weakly chuckled.

"You gave me a sword and everything. I have to protect you now, I don't have a choice anymore." Not that I ever really had a choice. Not since I saw her stumbling in that alley. Not since I took off my mask to try and calm her down.

Shit. I had never had a chance.

Nancy laughed this time. Not the watery chuckle from before, but an actual laugh that had her whole body shaking. As her laugh petered off, she nodded to me, flashing a thumbs up. Then she pointed to the binder, pointed to herself and gave two thumbs up.

"You protect me too?"

She smiled, her head bobbing enthusiastically.

"Well it is greatly appreciated. But again, you don't have to if you don't want to."

Nancy just gave me an 'okay' sign. Then she pulled me to my feet and pushed me towards the door.

"Call me if you need me!"

She mimed a phone at her ear, blew me a kiss, and closed the door in my face.

I groaned, leaning my head against the door. "You know exactly what you just did to me, you are a fucking evil woman," I muttered with a half smile. I heard muffled chuckling on the other side of the door.

Smiling and shaking my head at her, I turned and walked down the stairs. I didn't have time for breakfast anymore, but that was fine. I could just grab a pop-tart or something and eat on the…bus…

"Dad…"

"Sit down, Taylor."

"…I have to get to school."

He shook his head and pushed the kitchen chair across from him out with his foot. "I already called the school to tell them you would be out today. I said it was a family emergency, which it is. Please sit down."

I licked my suddenly very dry lips as I slid into the seat. What had he…Oh no. He had his hand on a cell phone box. I had…I had left that on the table…Oh fuck.

Maybe this wasn't as bad as it could be?

"We have a few things to talk about, Taylor. One of which is this," he rattled the phone box, "and another is the refugee you're keeping hidden in your room."

I could actually feel the blood drain from my face. I didn't know that was something a person could feel happen. I placed both hands flat on the table and tried to ignore how all of the bugs within my range were running in circles and flying zig-zags. I had to manually push them to quiet down and go back to normal even as I let the ones that were hidden away continue their erratic movements.

"Is the phone so you can keep in contact with her, Taylor?" Dad asked, his voice low, controlled, and as far as anyone else would be able to tell, completely calm. I knew him better. He was not calm. He was holding himself back, but he was not _calm_. His jaw was too tight, the knuckles on his hands were white and his back was too straight. He was not calm.

"Yes."

"I'm not comfortable with this. I'm not comfortable with this at all, Taylor."

"It's not safe for her to be without a means of contacting someone in an emergency. It's not safe for _us_ to not have phones. Mom died years ago, Dad."

"Your mother -"

"And it was _her_ fault," I hissed. Dad scowled, but I didn't let up. Instead I leaned over the table, my own scowl matching his. " _Mom_ was the one texting while driving. _Mom_. Not the _phone_. You don't blame a gun for killing someone, you blame the person firing it. Why are phones different for you, Dad?"

"This is not about -"

"I'm keeping the phone and so is she. If she needs to call me, _then she can call me_. You should get one too. What if I was grabbed by a gang member, Dad? What if I needed to call for help and I couldn't reach 911 or the police? What if they gave me a chance to call you one last time, except you never answered because I had to call a _house_ phone while you weren't here, because you're _never here_! You _need a phone_!"

"This is not about the phone, Taylor!" Dad roared. He clenched his hand, crumpling the box, before he continued, softer, "This is about the girl, and about you."

"She's my friend." When in doubt, lie your ass off. Emma had taught me that at least.

"No, she's not." I glared at my father. How _dare_ he. I didn't even have a chance to rebut him before he continued to talk. "Several of my coworkers told me about how they were roughed up by gang members the other week. Gang members searching for a teenage girl with very short, blonde hair."

It felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. All of the air wheezed out of me. Coil was still looking for Nancy. Of course he was. She had been worried, and I had believed her, but…I had thought he might have given up…I was going to have to break my promise to her. I was going to have to find him so that I could stop him. He would never be able to get to her again, I would _not_ allow it.

"Taylor, I know that you took that girl from the gang. I completely understand the instinct, your mother would have done the same, and I'd like to think that I would have as well."

"But?" I was able to whisper.

"But, I need to know…Did you do it with…powers? Are you a cape, Taylor? Normal people, people like me and Kurt, we can't just save someone who's being held by a gang like that. We can call the police or the PRT, but we don't…we don't take them home with us. Heroes don't hide things like that either. Please tell me the truth, Taylor, are you a villain too?"

"Am I _what_?" I shrieked. "Am I a _villain_? Am I a _fucking villain_?! _That's_ what you think?! You, you, you!" The hidden bugs were swirling around and around each other now and the webs they were weaving were intricate, beautiful mosaics of chaos. "I'm a _fucking hero_ , Dad! I _saved_ her! I stopped -"

A hand fell onto my shoulder and I cut myself off, breathing in short pants. Behind me, Nancy squeezed; not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to remind me she was there.

"Hello. I'm Danny Hebert. It's nice to meet you. What's your name?" his voice was softer than I had heard it in…years. He hadn't been that gentle since Mom died.

That hurt.

"Her name is Nancy," I whispered.

"She can talk for herself, Taylor."

I didn't have to use my bugsense to see Nancy shaking her head with a sad not-smile on her face. Dad frowned as I lifted my hand to clutch hers. "No, actually, she can't. Whatever Coil did to her, she can't bring herself to talk or write. We're getting there, slowly. She's getting better. She was able to draw a picture yesterday without freaking out. She's getting better."

"Taylor, that's…extremely serious. She needs professional help."

"Coil would find out if she went to a real doctor. I had Panacea come and look her over. She was…really bad. Getting off of his drugs was killing her. Panacea helped; now we're just working to get her confidence back up."

"Panacea…" Dad shook her head, glancing between the two of us. "Taylor, Nancy, I understand that the two of you think you're doing the right thing, but this isn't healthy. You need actual assistance. My daughter is a wonderful person and I love her, but you need to see a real doctor, a psychiatrist at least. And if it was Coil who had captured you - and with _Panacea_ involved - we need to call the PRT."

Nancy's hand tightened on my shoulder and I snapped my head over to meet my father's gaze. "Dad, we can't talk to the PRT."

"What do you mean we can't talk to the PRT? Of course we can! They're the heroes, they'll be able to help."

"No, you don't understand," I said. "Coil has people working for him in the PRT, moles in the entire organization. If we go to the PRT, then he'll _know_ where she is and he'll kidnap her again! She'll go right back into her own personal hell! And that's not even getting into the problems with the _Wards_!"

"Honey," Dad said, wiping a hand down his face. "Everyone has contacts in the PRT. The Empire, the ABB, Coil, hell, the _DWU_ has contacts in the PRT. That doesn't mean that those people are high enough up to get anything _useful_. The PRT isn't stupid, Taylor. They know that some people will be willing to talk for the right price so they give them unimportant jobs and they only have access to trivial information that wouldn't hurt anyone. Whoever this man has inside the system will never have the clearance to know that your friend is being taken to somewhere that she can recover."

Nancy's grip on my shoulder was a vice and she shook her head hard enough I briefly worried about whiplash. I squeezed her hand back to reassure her and said, "Dad, you can't know that for sure. You're not even a cape, you don't have powers, you don't know how this works. You have to trust us on this. If Nancy goes to the PRT, Coil _will_ find out."

"Taylor, please, listen to me, the girl can't _communicate_ because of her trauma. This is not something you deal with hiding out in a teenager's bedroom!"

"I understand her just fine! She _trusts_ me. Which is more than I can say for you right now!"

"I am just trying to -"

"Completely ignore everything we are saying!"

" _She's not saying anything_!" Dad shouted. Nancy cringing, her head dropping and she moved behind me instead of standing off to the side. My lips curled into a snarl as I glared at my father. "Your friend can't talk, you admitted that she was hooked on drugs, she has no clothes of her own, you're buying her things with your own money, you're skipping school - Taylor this cannot continue. You are shouldering responsibilities that you are not prepared for and are not capable of following through on. I'm sorry, but I can't let this go on."

Every muscle in my body froze. "Just what is that supposed to mean, Dad?"

"I'm going to contact the PRT. I'm…I'll drive there. That should make it so that there is even less chance that Coil can overhear anything. Also…it'll give you two time to say your goodbyes. This won't be forever, Taylor. I'm sure you'll be able to see her again - after she's healthier."

"So. That's how it's going to be, Dad?" Ice would be jealous of the temperature of my voice.

"I'm trying to help, Taylor. I'm trying to help you both. Someday you'll understand, and you'll thank me. Being a parent doesn't mean being a friend for your children, it means doing the best thing for them."

"Do what you feel you have to do then, Dad."

I stood, Nancy following behind me as we walked back upstairs. Once the door to my room was closed behind me, she tried to get my attention, but I just shook my head, and leaned against the door. After three minutes, Dad had finally gotten his keys, his wallet, his car, and had driven out of my range.

I pulled away from the door and fixed my gaze onto Nancy as she wrung her hands together.

"Get a suitcase. We're leaving."


	11. Run 1-1

**Run 1-1**

Nancy glanced out the window for the third time in under a minute. Still nothing on the street. Still no one in sight, even to her power. This was pointless. She should stop looking outside. At least not so frequently. She was just making things worse. If she kept going back, if someone _was_ nearby, then they would spot her. She needed to calm down. She needed to stop pacing. She needed to not look outside _again_.

"That van is definitely not from the PRT," Taylor said. Nancy swallowed hard, clenching her hand into a fist to stop it from shaking as she sat down beside the other girl against the wall. She would not look outside, she would not look outside, she would not look outside.

"Six men, the leader is getting word from a headset. The guy on the end is telling them to stand by. Ah…so that's what you sound like, Coil…Good to know."

Nancy's arms tightened around herself. They were too close. Far too close. Three blocks was not enough. Not nearly enough distance. She should have pushed Taylor to go further, not to stop at her neighbors house when they found it empty for winter. They should have kept going. This was too close.

"He just called for them to break off and pull back entirely. Why? How could he know that we're gone without even going inside to…"

Nancy violently shook her head, biting her tongue.

_Knows for certain you are gone; went inside the home to verify. Taylor's comments confirm mercenaries did not go inside the home. Implies knowledge of current or future events. Events not experienced by others. Coil is a Thinker._

She'd experienced the dual information enough by now. She knew what Coil could do. She knew exactly what his bullshit save scumming power gave him. There wasn't an easy way to mime that though. She was going to have to write it. She was going to have to get the pen and the paper and force herself to hold her hand steady and she was going to have to write it or Taylor was going to come to wrong conclusion and she was going to get captured because omniscience was only good if you weren't surrounded with no ways out and save scumming left no ways out and -

"He sent people in…only way he could have known sure enough to call his people off…I would have seen that though, we're well within my range…Stranger? No, that doesn't work either, a Stranger shouldn't need a full team to back them up, they could've just knocked us out; and I might even be able to feel them passing with my bugs. Another Master? No, nothing unusual is running around the house. Precog? Almost, but that doesn't quite fit, he wouldn't have needed to send his mooks out, and he'd be _way_ more successful if he had a real precognitive ability. Hrmm...…"

Taylor trailed off and frowned, her eyes narrowed as she stared in the direction of the van, almost seeming to bore through the wall with the weight of her gaze. "He made them withdraw…Why would he tell them to hold off, only to withdraw them five minutes later? Nancy, would five minutes be long enough to search my house?"

Nancy slowly nodded. How far was Taylor going to take this? Was she…

"If they searched for five minutes, found we were gone, and _then_ he told his people to stand down…But I didn't _see_ them search, and his _own people_ didn't _know_ they had searched and hadn't _gone to search_ …" Taylor smiled, snapping her fingers and turning to Nancy. "He has a short term precog of sorts, he has to position his people and he can then make choices, but has to wait for them to finish in real time. Choice A, he searched the house. Choice B, they stayed in the van. When A came up blank, he stayed with B because it was a waste of time and exposed his people for nothing. Now, the real question that we'll have to figure out is if he can do more than just two!"

Nancy laughed, her hands dropped from her sides. She grabbed Taylor and pulled the taller girl to her, crushing her against her in a bear hug as Taylor squeaked. Nancy didn't care. Taylor was badass, and beautiful, and smart - so, _so_ smart.

Nancy wouldn't have to force herself to write.

"Um, I appreciate the sentiment, but what's this for?" Taylor murmured, stiff as a board.

Nancy pulled back, just enough to be able to kiss both of Taylor's cheeks. She finally let the incandescent raven-haired girl go as she leaned back and held up two fingers, grinning from ear to ear.

"I, I don't, I uh, I'm, I can't," Taylor sputtered. Shaking her head, and slapping her cheeks, she blinked and stared at Nancy's hands. "Two. Two what? Wait, _Coil_ two? Coil's stuck at two choices? You knew about - of _course_ you knew. That's why you didn't want me going after him before. If he could have two choices running at once and I messed up just slightly, then he'd get me. Or worse, he'd _know_ about me and I would never have a clue that I'd even screwed up in order to be on guard in the future."

Nancy nodded.

"Okay. Okay, well, we can deal with this. It's actually not that bad."

Nancy's eyebrows rose.

"No, really. Think about it." Taylor held up her hand with fingers extended and started lowering them as she spoke. "There's a few really easy ways to get around a guy limited to binary choices, especially when he doesn't get advanced knowledge. One, we figure out which two choices he's making at the time and make both _really, really bad_. Either one he makes, we win."

Nancy rolled her eyes, but waved Taylor on.

"Yes, I know, that's probably harder than I'm making it out to be, but the point stands, because realistically, we could _force_ those two bad choices if we were careful about it. Anyway, option two, we find him, we wait for him to reset his choices and when his options are at the same spot, we attack _then_."

Nancy bit her lip. She shook her head, keeping her eyes on the floor. She didn't look up even when Taylor grabbed her hands.

"Nancy, that's a good plan. I'm guessing you don't like it because it would mean I need to get close to Coil to figure out his mannerisms? To wait long enough to find out when he swaps to a new choice set?"

Her hands shook as she squeezed Taylor's palms.

"I'm not going to get caught. Nancy, we're three blocks away from my home. I'm watching Hookwolf and three Empire idiots squat in the alley behind my house, while Coil's mercenaries are playing poker in their van and the Protectorate are rolling down the road in _their_ van with my dad leading the way in his truck. Not a _single_ one knows anything about me, my power, or where to find us. Not even my father. He knows I'm a cape, he doesn't know what I can do. He never bothered to ask before he left. Judging from what the PRT guys are saying and how they are planning to coax a Thinker 5 into leaving with them without a fuss…I don't think he _told_ them that I'm a cape."

Nancy's head snapped up and her eyes narrowed. She mouthed a silent '5'?

"Yeah," Taylor said. "That's what the guy in the back of the van just said. They said that you are unstable and orchestrated the downfall of a Ward so they should be careful, but that you are probably not actively hostile so everyone is supposed to be very nice and cordial if possible. Assault is leading them. None have said a damn thing about me. Granted they only _just_ stopped in my driveway, but still…you'd think they'd mention going to talk to _two_ capes instead of just one."

Nancy bit her lip, but before she could do anything Taylor sighed.

"Dad found my note. Damn, now I feel guilty. Maybe I should've…No. He didn't want to give me a chance to explain things so he can deal with getting a fucking note."

Nancy moved around Taylor's back and hugged her. Taylor held the blonde's arm, laying her head back.

"Thanks. I'll try to work things out with him once we're done."

Nancy sucked in a breath, squeezing her arms around Taylor hard.

"You can't talk me out of this, Nancy. You're never going to stop being terrified unless Coil is dealt with and…" she trailed off into silence. Nancy let it lie until the quiet grew too much. Finally, she tapped Taylor's hand. The brunette stirred, tightening Nancy's arms around her as she whispered, "He hurt you. He's _still_ hurting you. I'm not letting him get away with it."

\/\/\/\/

It was nearly noon before Nancy poked Taylor in the side again. Taylor flinched, groaned, cracked her neck and glanced to the side. "Oh, sorry, I didn't realize it was getting close to lunch. Got…distracted."

Nancy just rubbed at her temples. That was not why she had prodded the girl at all.

"So, funny story, apparently Assault thought of Sophia like his protege or something. He was uh, not very amused by my journals. If she didn't have a raw deal from before with what you did, she _really_ will now, from what he's going to bring down on her head. Also, I think Assault is convinced that I'm a parahuman. He seems cool though, he's talking to my dad about it and not telling anyone else."

Nancy nodded. Then she held out her phone to Taylor.

Taylor stared. "I'm not _calling_ them. We're only three blocks away. I've seen enough movies to know that they can trace a call and - oh. That's Vicky's number. Okay…that might be a good idea."

Taylor took out her own phone and called up Vicky's number. Nancy settled in beside her, smiling. That was better. Taylor needed backup, and if she was going to cringe at everything, who better to call than PHO's own collateral damage queen?

"Taylor? Hi, it's good to hear from you. Have you reconsidered going out for a, err, walk?"

Nancy snorted at the verbal backstep. Taylor also cracked a small smile. "Possibly. But first I could use your help with something else."

"Sure. What's up?"

"Do you happen to know somewhere I could stay for a few days? Maybe a week or two?"

"Somewhere you could - Hang on." Muffled shouting and yells came through the phone and the rush of wind, then Vicky was back. "Okay, I'm on the roof, what's going on? Are you okay? Is Nancy?"

"We're fine. Mostly at least. We just, kinda ran away. My dad tried to get the PRT involved and…"

"…Are you sure it's not a good idea to talk to them? She still can't talk right, Taylor? I know people who work with the PRT, they're good people. Some of them can be a bit mean, but overall, they're good people. They could help."

Nancy swallowed hard, shaking her head. Taylor reached over and squeezed her hand.

"I've considered it, but they have problems with moles. I can tell you more later if you're actually interested. I can't stay on the call for long though. I didn't buy many minutes for this phone."

"…Mom would kill me if she found out I was doing this," Vicky muttered. "Okay look, I have a small apartment, nothing fancy, but it's furnished and the utilities should be on. It's technically in my cousin's name at the moment, but she's transferring it to me when I turn 18. I'm planning to use it for me and my sister. I will be _very unhappy_ if you mess the place up or manage to get a supervillain to destroy it by accident while they are chasing you."

"Completely understandable. I promise to take care of it better than my own house. You'll never know we were ever there and I'll even get rid of any infestations you may have before I go."

Vicky chuckled. "Yeah that's right you will!"

The two lapsed into silence for a few moments. It was broken when Vicky murmured, "Taylor, I know we're not exactly friends, but I think we could be. You're not planning to do anything dangerous…are you?"

"…Just don't tell anyone about me or what I can do. I'll be perfectly safe as long as no one knows that I have powers, or what those powers _are_ if they do know."

"Taylor…"

"I'll be fine. There's a lot of ways around this problem, Vicky. And honestly, I haven't even discussed the easiest option with my partner yet. We got this. I got this."

"Please call me if you need backup. Promise me that at least? There's not enough heroes in this city as it is."

"I promise."

"Okay. I'll text you the address."

The call ended and Taylor smiled at Nancy. She held two thumbs up. "Got us a place to stay further away from here. Less spying opportunities, but this should be much safer now."

Nancy frowned, then held up three fingers ticking down the first two before pointing at the third.

Taylor just smirked. "Option 3 for bringing down Coil? Attack, attack, attack. More specifically, attack at a _specific_ time of day. No. Matter. What. He's in a meeting? Bullet ants. He's at home? Spiders and Wasps. He's in his lair? **All the bees**. No quarter, no alternatives, just _attack_. With my range…I can start following him two days back just to make sure he's used his choices, and then I can _attack_ at a specified time. We win. Easy option. Last resort, but easy option."

Nancy held a finger up before slowly lowering it. She tapped her chin, frowned, held another finger up, and lowered it again.

_Simultaneous attack would prevent any possible beneficial option. Coil would fall. Should Coil be in any location, but the PRT, results can be concealed with minimal effort. Should Coil be attacked in the PRT, results can be twisted to appear beneficial to Taylor by taking out a well placed Supervillain._

Slowly, ever so slowly, Nancy's vulpine grin spread. Perhaps there was something decent to be said about the prospects of 'Attack, attack, attack'.


	12. Run 1-2

**Run 1-2**

Nancy peered through the peephole on the apartment door as the knock came again. She let out her held breath at the sight of the tall, leggy blond on the other side of the door. They were safe. They were fine. This probably wasn't _ideal_ , but it was fine.

She stepped back, took off the chain and pulled open the door, waving Victoria inside. The Dallon girl stepped past her, a small frown maring her near perfect features. Those legs had to be illegal and that hair was too perfect to be natural. And those _clothes_. Lisa would've killed for clothes like that. Or stolen them. Probably stolen them. Lisa had been a bitch like that - maybe it was for the best that she was gone now. Sarah would've just bought them and snarked at the clerk who thought she couldn't afford it.

Nancy, on the other hand, could only stare in despondent jealousy at the sky-blue blouse and russet foster pants. One day she'd get to go clothes shopping again.

"Are you checking me out?"

Nancy rolled her eyes and looked to the heavens for strength. She met Victoria's eyes as she closed the door and ran a hand down the leg of her poorly sized jeans.

"I have literally no idea what you're trying to say. Something about your pants?"

Nancy groaned and hit the back of her head against the door. She had gotten too used to Taylor and how scarily easy that girl understood her. Nancy again ran both hands down the legs of her pants, then pointed to Victoria's own leggings and flashed her two thumbs up with a wide smile. Then she pointed back to her own jeans and flipped her thumbs down.

"Okay…uh, my clothes look nice and yours…don't?" Nancy nodded. "Thanks. I think. Whatever, not what I'm here for. Is Taylor here? I really need to talk to her."

Nancy shook her head. She held both hands to the side of her head and leaned over shutting her eyes briefly.

Victoria grimaced and held up her hands. "I'm sorry I…"

She grumbled, but did not scowl. It wasn't Victoria's fault that she had been spoiled, it was Taylor's. This was why she had been practicing anyway. Taylor wasn't always going to be around and she needed to be able to communicate again without freezing up. She needed to start pulling her weight again and that wasn't going to happen until she could bring herself to make actual sounds. Or at least to write. Writing would be nice.

She grabbed the notepad from the table, sat down and breathed out, shutting her eyes as she willed the shaking in her hand to stop. She could do this. Taylor was asleep in the next room and Vicky was a…friend. More or less. Yeah, Vicky was a friend. Only friends let people crash at their secret boltholes. Vicky was a friend. She was safe. She was fine.

She was fine.

The pencil traced down the paper, pausing in spots as the tremors resumed, but after less than a minute the drawing was complete, only a few squiggles out of place. It was actually fairly easy to see what it was too. She was getting better. Maybe she should get a side-career as an artist once this was all over.

"A bed? Oh! She's napping. But it's…She's going out later, so she's sleeping now instead right? That makes sense. Damn; do you know how long she'll be out for? I really do need to talk to her."

Nancy frowned, glanced at the clock, and held up two fingers.

"Two what? Two minutes, hours, days?" Nancy glared at Vicky. The older girl blinked a few times and snorted. "Okay, yeah, I probably deserve that look. Two hours, right? Right."

Nancy handed over the pad to Vicky, raising her eyebrows.

Vicky sighed, shaking her head. "It's okay. I told my mom I was going to the Boardwalk. I can wait. Do you want to, I don't know, play a game or something? I think I have a chessboard in here somewhere."

Nancy smiled and gestured magnanimously towards the table. Vicky glanced towards her, shrugged and went to rummage in the closet. She came back after a minute with the chess set and set things up.

 _Experienced player from initial moves. Can checkmate in_ -

Nancy shook her head and suppressed her power. She didn't want to cheat. It wasn't sporting. Her power didn't prompt anything further as they both kept moving pieces in silence. Nancy bit her lip, watching Vicky's expression as she nudged her queen forward. This was it. This would set things up. One more move and she would be able to -

"You extended too far," Vicky said. She reached forward and edged her knight to the side. "Check."

Nancy grimaced and moved to block the attack.

A pawn leaped forward promoting into a new queen. "Checkmate."

Nancy dropped her fist, then held out her hand to Vicky.

"Yeah, good game. You almost had me, never forget about the pawns though. Nasty little buggers once you ignore them. Another?"

They made it through another game which Nancy won and were halfway through a third when Taylor walked out of the bedroom, yawning. She dropped onto the couch next to Nancy, their knees knocking together as the brunette wiped her eyes under her glasses.

"Hi, Vicky. Thanks for letting us borrow your apartment."

"Yeah, it's…fine." Vicky abandoned the game as she frowned, leaning forward, elbows on her knees. "I wanted to talk to you, to both of you."

"Okay."

Vicky blinked. "You're really going to make me say it?"

"I don't really know what you're talking about. I just woke up."

"Yeah, but…Whatever, okay, look, Taylor, Nancy, you guys can't hide out for forever. You can't hide out for weeks. I can maybe be okay with a few days. I talked with - uh - someone I know at the PRT, and I heard that there was an issue at home. I totally understand wanting to run away, but you guys aren't old enough to support yourselves; you can't get a legit job yet, you can't hold a mortgage, you can't legally register as a superhero team. Trust me on this, okay? I've done my research. At least one of you _has_ to be 18 first."

Nancy turned to Taylor and inclined her head towards the apartment.

"You own an apartment."

"It's in my cousin's name who _is_ over 18," Vicky said, sighing. "There are other options than just…hiding."

Taylor's fist clenched. Nancy doubted that Vicky would notice the tightening of her jaw or the narrowing of her eyes or the tension in her shoulders. Nancy only noticed because she had been with Taylor for long enough now to start picking up on her friend's tells. Taylor wasn't running. Taylor wasn't running at all. Taylor was _hunting_.

And as much as that sent terrified shivers down her back, it also sent warm flutters through her chest.

"This isn't long term, Vicky. I couldn't really explain over the phone, but I have a plan. I'm pissed at my dad, but we didn't just leave because of that. We left because if we stayed there then Coil was going to end up kidnapping Nancy again. I saw proof of that before we left my neighborhood. He had a van of goons sitting outside my house; _before_ the PRT van got there. The only way that could happen was if he was tipped off by moles inside their organization while their own people were delayed."

Vicky leaned back, chewing her lip as her brows furrowed. "It's possible that…he might have been tipped off another way too…I mean…Please don't take this the wrong way, but, Nancy's a Thinker, right?"

Nancy scowled, and Taylor nodded.

"I thought so. I'm sorry, but my sister was asked to heal you and well, gangs don't really give tinker drugs to normals. Then there was that whole thing with Shadow Stalker and…That had Thinker written all over it. You kinda tipped your hand, to people who know where to look at least."

Nancy leaned back, covering her eyes with one hand. Taylor wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her against her, Nancy melded herself into Taylor's side and let her head rest on her…friend.

She wasn't going to be able to keep lying to herself for much longer. It didn't matter. Once she could talk again, she could stop ignoring it. Or at least once she could write. Once she could bring herself to write without breaking down, then no one could say that she was _dependent_. They wouldn't say that it was wrong, or weird, or that she had an unhealthy attachment. They wouldn't force her away for her own good.

She just needed to be able to write.

"Thank you, Nancy," Taylor whispered. "I know what that cost you to do that, and, please don't ever forget this, you saved me. It was different from what I did for you, but to me, it was just as important."

"Okay, so I see you guys are having a moment here, but it doesn't really change anything. So Coil is coming after you. Come to New Wave, hell, let's go to Boston!"

Taylor just smiled and squeezed Nancy against her tighter. "He's never going to stop coming after her and I'm not going to let him have her no matter what. So how about a compromise? Give me a week? If I can't figure this all out in a week, then I promise we will come with you to your family."

Vicky scowled, crossing her arms as she glared at Taylor. "You're going to get yourself killed."

"My range is _excellent,_ and he doesn't even know I'm a cape. All he knows about is Nancy. I have a plan. Technically I have three plans depending on how successful my recon tonight and tomorrow goes."

"Can you at least tell me what these glorious plans _are_?"

"He has a form of precognition. He can see two paths and then choose the better outcome, but it's real time. Once I find him, then I can make both his choices bad options and force him into a dead end both ways. If I get really lucky, I can see him making a new choice, locking him down into a single spot with no real exit strategy and I can take him down in under a minute, then call in backup. For a last ditch, sure-fire effort, I can just attack him where he happens to be at a specific time of day after a set period when he's likely to have already set up his choices."

Victoria's scowl didn't let up. "I'm going to say it again, you're going to get yourself killed."

"Anonymity is my friend. Right now five people in this city know I'm a cape. Nancy, you, Amy, my father, and Assault. As long as no one actually says anything for a few days, I can do this. Just give me a few days."

Victoria stood, her feet not touching the ground as she twisted away from the two of them, hiding her face. "You both have my number on Speed Dial?"

"We do."

"Good. When this goes sideways - and it will - call me." Vicky flew to the door, her hand on the knob as she hesitated. "Taylor, I'll give you your week, but I'm not giving you a day longer. I like you; I'm not going to let you get yourself or your girlfriend killed because you're a stubborn bitch."

"Vicky," Taylor said. Victoria stopped as the door started to unlatch, turning her head just enough to acknowledge she'd heard Taylor. "Thank you. Really, thank you. I don't have many friends. You said on the phone that we weren't friends. I think we are. Even if I've not done what I need to, even if you have to tell your family about us, that's okay. I understand why you feel like you have to and, unlike my dad, you're at least listening to me and giving me a chance. So, thank you. We're still going to be friends, no matter what."

Nancy didn't have to consult her power to see Vicky's expression smooth out, nor did she miss how Vicky's feet touched the ground again.

"Please don't get yourself killed, Taylor."

The blonde was gone and the door was closing again as Taylor leaned her head over to rest on Nancy's. "I know that we should take her up on her offer, going to New Wave I mean, but…I wouldn't be able to finish this if we did…"

_Taylor doesn't intend to capture Coil when she moves against him. Taylor doesn't intend for Coil to survive. She will try to ensure that it appears accidental or that she was forced into it, working with New Wave would make it too difficult to make plausible; she expects consequences would result. She would still do it._

Nancy sniffled as she squeezed closer to Taylor. What had she done in a past life to deserve a protector like this Dark Rogue? There certainly wasn't anything worthy in _this_ life.

"You saved me, Nancy. I'm going to save you. Just leave it all to me. Trust me."

She had never trusted anyone more.


	13. Hunt 1-1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So this chapter is short. Very short. But it's also a critical point for Nancy and it just wasn't right to continue forward with the chapter past this point. Next chapter will be of normal length.

**Hunt 1-1**

"Again, if your commute takes you anywhere near 32nd and York, we strongly urge you to find another route. While the fighting between the Coil's gang and the Archer's Bridge Merchants has begun to subside, there is still a distinct chance that it could flare up to the previous levels at any moment. For your own safety, it is highly recommended to avoid the surrounding blocks for the next several hours."

Nancy clutched her arms tighter around her legs, the pillow stuffed between her thighs and her chest squeezed to a thin ribbon of nothing. It was just the news. It was nothing important. It was a normal fight. This was Brockton Bay, this sort of dust-up happened all of the time. It was nothing.

"As you can see several civilians have been injured as the supervillain Mush fought against the soldiers called in by Coil's personnel. We go now to Marcus Lokel, live at the scene. Marcus?"

The camera feed switched, and Nancy forgot to breathe.

There was a flash of black, curly hair in the background walking away from an ambulance. The owner of said hair had an Armsmaster backpack.

Taylor had black, curly hair.

Taylor had an Armsmaster backpack.

Taylor hadn't texted her since the fight started an hour ago.

"Thank you, Helen. We're still not certain what exactly set off this clash, but we can say that it is finally beginning to break apart. It appears that the Merchants have managed to get a hold of a crate of supplies that the mercenaries associated with Coil's gang had been attempting to secure. There were 10 people hurt during the running battle, including three fatalities."

Nancy's fingernails dug into her palm as she stared at the screen. The camera was too focused, the angle too narrow. She couldn't see the girl with the backpack. Was it Taylor? Was she hurt? Was she okay? Was she one of the fatalities? Was that why she hadn't texted to let Nancy know she was fine?

"We've received unconfirmed reports that the Merchants were tipped off about this movement by an unknown third party. At this point in time, it's believed that one of the locals was trying to curry favor with their local dealer and things got out of hand when more people than expected on each side turned up."

Her power tried to rise and say something. She pushed it down. She didn't want to know. And if she _needed_ to know then she would need her power at full strength later. She hadn't been getting headaches as much lately, but those could return at any moment. For now, she needed to be careful. And careful meant being conservative - until she knew what was what. Until she knew for sure.

Nancy's teeth ached as she ground them together, her hand shaking as she lifted the phone in front of her eyes. She needed to be sure. She needed to know.

It took five tries before her fingers were able to tap out the message. It wasn't impressive. It wasn't much. It was more than she had been able to do in weeks.

_**Ok? Txt pls.** _


	14. Hunt 1-2 | Hunt 2-2

**Hunt 1-2**

The phone's ringing and buzzing startled Nancy enough that she nearly dropped it as she jerked and flailed about. Fumbling, she just barely managed to catch the device before it tumbled out of sight. Breathing hard, her hands still shaking from tapping out the earlier text, she pressed the answer key.

"Nancy?! I'm so sorry, I didn't think - didn't realize - you were watching the news weren't you," Taylor stated, no room for questioning in her voice.

Nancy felt the vice on her heart unclench and she breathed out, the air leaving her lungs in a slow wheeze. She nodded.

"Nancy, are you nodding? This isn't a video conversation, I can't see that."

Grimacing, Nancy grunted and reached over to knock once on the wooden table.

"I'm sorry. I had to play the part of a wounded civilian when someone saw me in the area. I didn't want to get too far away until I knew which direction the mercenaries were going to be going. I…You probably already know, but I started the fight. You don't exactly know where you were being kept and…well, what better way to find the queen than to follow the drones to the nest, right?"

Nancy scowled as she uncurled her legs and started to pace. She stopped by one of the walls and knocked twice then kept pacing back and forth.

"I know you don't like it. But this is the best way to find him." Taylor paused, then continued softer. "And hey, you texted me. That's…that's _amazing_ , Nancy! If I could bake, I'd bake you a cake when I get back."

Nancy slumped against the back of the couch, a laugh burbling out of her as she shook her head.

"Oh shush, I'm not _that_ bad. You _love_ my grilled cheese." The line fell silent again before Taylor said, her voice now a whisper, "I have to go, Nancy. They're starting to pull away from me again, but they're going _deeper_ now. I think I may have found the base. I'm going to check to be sure, then I'll come back, we can talk for a bit, get some rest, and then I'll start my stakeout. We're almost done. You're almost safe."

As Taylor hung up, Nancy stayed splayed out on the floor of Vicky's apartment, her back propped up against the couch. The phone held in front of her face as she kept staring at the tiny screen.

_**Ok? Txt pls.** _

Three words. Three, little, words. They didn't even count as words, more like an incomprehensible mess of pop culture nonsense. They were abbreviations at best, slang at worst. They barely made sense except to tweens. Hell, she'd nearly dropped the phone three times trying to finish inputting them.

They were still words. Written communication. Words that _she_ had typed out.

She could type.

She. Could. _Type_.

* * *

Taylor didn't get back for another three hours. Nancy had made good use of that time. As soon as Taylor walked in the door, she blew her party horn, the little paper tube extending out with the annoying sound blaring loud. Nancy also held up her sign, large block letters loudly proclaiming: _**Welcome Home, Taylor!**_ on them, standing on in stark yellow paint.

Taylor's smile was wide, easy, and bright. Nancy blew her party horn again, playing up the cheerleader aspect. It helped that she actually almost fit into the old uniform that she'd found in the closet. If she had managed to gain back all her weight, she probably wouldn't have even needed the safety pins to tighten the fit up. She would have to get something nice for Vicky to thank her. Not that she'd tell the brute _why_ she was thanking her. That was a bridge too far.

"Hey, what's all this for?" Taylor asked as she set her bag down.

Nancy flipped the board over. _**We're celebrating!**_

Taylor laughed as Nancy threw the board to the side and reached down for the pom poms. She thrust her arms into the air and blew the party horn one final time. The tension in Taylor's shoulders finally bled away, and the brunette reached up to take the hair tie out, letting her hair hang down in its natural curls.

_Taylor is not thinking about the deaths caused from the earlier fight anymore. She is now focused on your progress, instead of the fatalities brought about from her actions._

Good. Celebrating that she could more effectively communicate was important, but it wasn't important enough to delve into a cheerleader outfit. Making sure that Taylor didn't dwell on things that she shouldn't, now _that_ was worth getting into a short skirt that barely covered her ass and a top that exposed her stomach.

"I know I said I'd try to bake you a cake, but I think we both know how that would turn out. So I picked you up something on the way back instead." Leaning over, Taylor maneuvered a large package out of her backpack and inclined her head towards the table. Nancy didn't miss how Taylor studiously avoided looking directly at her, nor the slight heat to her cheeks. Well how she _tried_ to avoid looking, and was only _mostly_ successful…until Nancy 'accidentally' flipped her skirt a bit as she pranced over to the table. The way Taylor's face lit up like a tomato after that was adorable. And…it sent warm shivers down her spine.

Taylor had started that fight for her. She'd started it to find Coil in order to help _her_. She'd known that people would probably get hurt and would most likely die. And she'd done it anyway.

Taylor was no White Knight, but she was exactly the sort of person that Nancy needed and wanted. More than anything. And if that meant dressing up like a bit of an airhead to remind Taylor that she was appreciated and steer her thoughts away from dark places, so be it.

Celebrating a massive leap in progress was a nice bonus too. Now she could _communicate_. Now she wouldn't have to feel guilty about liking her savior. Now if they did end up going to the authorities for help after it was over, the therapists and Youth Guard wouldn't be able to force them apart 'for her own good'.

Stupid fucking Youth Guard. They could kiss her ass. She could _write_ now. She was _independent_.

"Tada! I, uh, know it's not much, but I didn't have time to wait for them to actually make a real decoration on it, so it was all I could get…"

As Taylor opened up the box Nancy's heart jumped into her throat and the world got a bit blurry . It was a cake. A cake with ' _Congratulations, Nancy!_ ' written on it in red icing. A tiny cake, but…a cake.

Nancy bit her lip as her heart fluttered deep within her chest. Taylor looked at her and she managed to hold up one finger before grabbing for the tablet she had carried to the table. Her finger still shook as she stabbed at the display, but she was already better than she had been just three hours ago.

_[̵͔̇͑H̷̳̀ó̷̖̮s̸͈͗̽t̸̞̕]̵̳̕ is calmer now that Taylor is sitting within line of sight._

She chose to ignore the implications of her power's input and instead finished the message. Flipping the tablet over, she held it out so Taylor could see it, surreptitiously wiping at her eyes.

_**You actually got me a cake?** _

Taylor read it, her smile dropping away into something far harder to read. Nancy didn't want to use her power for this. She wanted to communicate like a real person. She wanted to understand Taylor without cheating. She wanted to…she wanted to keep getting back what she had lost…she wanted…

Taylor's arms closed around her shoulders and her cheek fell to rest against Nancy's own. Nancy reached up to squeeze Taylor's hand as Taylor hugged her. "Of course I got you a cake. You can _write_. When we met you could barely even grunt; now you can knock out replies, give elaborate answers with charades, draw other things, and even _write_. You're _amazing_ , Nancy. If I was in your position, I'd be a wreck."

_**No. Strong.** _

"I think you overestimate me." Taylor pulled back, smiling as Nancy's sniffles slowed. "Where did you get the outfit anyway?"

_**Vicky's closet.** _

Taylor chuckled. "I'm not usually into cheerleaders, but you look, um, _really_ good in that." Taylor looked away, focusing back on the table. She couldn't hide the blush on her cheeks though. Before she could stand and move back to her seat, Nancy reached out and folded her arms around Taylor, hugging the girl as hard as she could. Leaning up, Nancy gently brushed her lips against Taylor's cheek.

_**Thank you.** _

\/\/\/\/

/\/\/\/\

**Hunt 2-2**

I gently laid the bedsheet back over Nancy brushing the stray blonde hair away from her face as she continued sleeping. It had been a long day for her. She needed sleep. And I needed to start my stakeout. I couldn't stay here any longer - as much as I wanted to.

Leaning down, I kissed Nancy's forehead, made sure she had her phone on the nightstand and closed the door behind me as I retreated from the bedroom. Leaning against the door, I quietly breathed out. Was I really going to do this? This was my last real chance to back out. My last moment to stop, to call Vicky, and bring New Wave into it.

Nancy rolled over, squeezing the pillow next to her, nearly squashing the bugs I had left to keep track of her.

No. I wasn't going to let Coil have a chance to get near her again. Even from just listening in to his conversation with the body double's radio earlier today, he was still hunting for her. Those crates contained more drugs, drugs intended for her. Her and another Thinker he was trying to track down. I hadn't gotten the second Thinker's name yet, just that she was a girl.

It didn't matter. He was never going to get to _that_ girl either.

I cut myself a small piece of the cake for breakfast before grabbing my backpack. Breakfast of champions. Though was it really breakfast when it was midnight? It didn't really matter. It was food. I had energy bars and water in my bag, I just needed something to give me a bit of a boost to start off. Coil was probably sleeping. He was likely to start making his new choices in the morning.

I knew where he slept now. I knew his base, and I'd found his home. Building his Endbringer shelter base less than four blocks from his _actual_ home was not smart. Not smart at all. He should've planned for people with large ranges.

But he hadn't. And that was going to be _his_ problem now. And _my_ win.

Time to start marking off 48 hours Mr. Thomas Calvert.


	15. Interlude: Hunted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: And so the penultimate chapter. This fic is almost completed now, probably one more chapter and then an epilogue. I hope you enjoy how things are dealt with!

**AN:** And so the penultimate chapter. This fic is almost completed now, probably one more chapter and then an epilogue. I hope you enjoy how things are dealt with!  
  
 **\/\/\/\/  
  
Interlude: Hunted**  
  
[A]  
  
Thomas Calvert performed his morning routine with barely a thought. As he finished his cereal, he glared at a lone spider crouched in the corner of the kitchen ceiling. Getting his can of bug spray from under the sink, by the time he had turned around, the spider had vanished.  
  
"It's never that easy. Damn bugs. Useless exterminators," he grumbled. He had noticed several ants, spiders, and flies throughout his home for the past two days. The exterminator wasn't able to come for another day as it was, thanks to infestation in several other nearby homes booking them solid. So he was forced to deal with the minor annoyance on his own in the meantime. Replacing the spray, he grabbed his keys and went to the car.  
  
<B>  
  
In his other timeline, he finished reviewing the evening's files, and, seeing that nothing had placed him in danger while he was sleeping, he dropped the timelines.  
  
[A|B>  
  
Resplitting them nearly immediately, he continued to work in his primary reality while his secondary one went right back to the base. It was always smarter to get a full night's rest, just in case it was needed later in the day. Besides, he still wasn't certain just how well he could impersonate a noctis cape. It would be an interesting experiment to run one day.  
  
Once he had his pet back, he could ask her.  
  
Thomas smirked to himself as he thought of all the myriad questions he was going to assault his pet with. She needed to learn her place. By the end of the week-long migraine he had planned for her she would be _begging_ him for more of his special concoction. And of course he would oblige. But only after he let her watch as he destroyed whatever was left of that _annoying_ Hebert girl.  
  
How the little bitch had managed to keep his pet out of view for over a month without any powers to speak of was…unthinkable.  
  
She _had_ to have an ability. Perhaps a Stranger effect?  
  
Thomas sighed as he switched on the radio for distraction. He was going around in circles again. Of course the Hebert girl wasn't a Stranger. There would have been some indication of a new Stranger on the streets. New Wave at least would have mentioned it to the Wards and it would have filtered down to the official reports whenever Gallant opened his mouth. They were all just so…predictable. It was almost too boring manipulating them these days. Even without his pet, he knew how they were going to react before they did. Panacea would have been needed to heal his pet; she'd have brought Glory Girl for backup; Glory Girl would talk about Hebert to Gallant; Gallant would talk to his superiors; Coil would read the reports.  
  
It was too _easy_. He needed larger game. He needed a challenge. He needed his pet back so that he could expand. Once she was safe in her cage, he could move against the Empire, the ABB, and finish setting Emily up for her tragic fall from grace.  
  
<B>  
  
His base was closer than the PRT building so of course he was able to get there quickly and get into his bodysuit, setting himself back up in his office. It felt like he had just left! Chuckling to himself at the private joke, Coil pulled up the files for the day that needed to be reviewed as well as his agenda before calling in one of his intelligence agents.  
  
"Sir, I believe we have a lead on the secondary target. There have been reports of a girl at Hawke Middle School who has been repeatedly absent due to 'headaches'. We're sending someone later today to find records and obtain a name."  
  
Coil had to resist the urge to chuckle. Such a foolish little girl. She should really know better than to call out with such an excuse. Typical little Thinker, too focused on her power and too blind to the wider world around her. Well, that would be her loss, and his gain.  
  
He wasn't _certain_ of her power yet, but he knew it had to be strong for her to be absent enough for notices to be sent like this. Hawke was a wealthy school and wealthy schools simply didn't care about absences until they were egregious. This was perfect. Once he had the new child, he would use her to get his pet back. And then he would break her all over again.  
  
Perhaps, he could even use the new Thinker to make things interesting? A new angle to exploit with his pet?  
  
This time Coil did laugh.  
  
He really should thank Hebert before he tortured her. She had given him such a gift! Being able to break Sarah in all over again - Thomas shivered in both timelines as the anticipation surged back through him. Sarah had been so _fiery_ , so _determined_. And by the time they were done, she never even spoke except when he asked for her analysis.  
  
[A]  
  
In his primary timeline he pulled into his parking space at the PRT headquarters and started the trek up to his office to drop off his briefcase. Ignoring the secretary as she greeted him was yet more useless routine. Such a waste of manpower and money. There was no need for a greeter here. Hers would be the first position he'd cut once he had taken Emily's job.  
  
<B>  
  
In his base, he summoned the leader of his team, and folded his hands on the table, glaring at the incompetant fool. "You lost four people yesterday, Mr. Fish."  
  
"Yes, sir. A remarkably low number when against a parahuman," the mercenary stated.  
  
The sheer _insolence_! He had to fight not to shoot the man himself as Fish just met his gaze without flinching. "My funds are not unlimited, Mr. Fish. If you are going to be taking losses, I expect you to be retrieving my property."  
  
"Sir, with all due respect, if you want assurances that we can take out capes, you should hire a cape or two yourself. Tinkertech only goes so far. Lasers can't be overclocked without burnout - which costs money in replacements - and even an overclocked laser doesn't get through most of the armor of capes in this city. Mush isn't technically a Brute, but he might as well be. The fact that we took down five of the Merchants and still came back with one of the small crates is better than expected in that sort of situation. We aren't miracle workers, we're just professionals. If you want miracles, hire a cape."  
  
"You should remember who you are speaking to, Mr. Fish."  
  
"You're not going to hurt me for telling you the truth, Sir," Fish replied with a shrug. "Not when you don't have any capes on your payroll to replace me and my people. You shoot me for telling you our actual limitations, my people walk, you have nothing. I'm trying to help you, Sir. I'm not a gentle man or a nice man. If I was you wouldn't have hired me. If you don't like my advice, fire me, if you do, get a cape. We are better at backup then direct confrontation."  
  
"I will take that under advisement, Mr. Fish." Coil unfolded his hands and pressed the button to release the door latch studiously ignoring the roach that skittered past the door as it swung open. "Now get out of my office and arrange for a capture team. We should be able to get the secondary target tonight." As Fish passed the threshold and before he could close it, Coil, called out, "Oh, and Mr. Fish, have your men ensure that this facility is cleared of the roaches. I believe I said this _yesterday_."  
  
Fish grunted. "Sir, it's an enclosed bunker, underground, in a humid city, by the sea. It would be odder not to see _any_ roaches than to see one or two. Just like I told you yesterday. But we'll go around again in an hour, once the patrol gets back, to get rid of them again for you. Mark my words, they'll be right back tomorrow without a full fumigation. Which we can't do. Because we're soldiers, not exterminators."  
  
"And you're supposed to resolve these issues for me, Mr. Fish. That is why I pay you." He pressed the button and the door whizzed closed.  
  
Scowling, he turned back to his reports on the next free agent. Fish wasn't wrong. He did need a new cape, his organization couldn't survive with just Thinkers. And yet…it was so hard to trust investing in anyone without the input from his pet. He had lost out on getting Hellhound when he tried approaching her without his pet's analysis. Circus should be simple to recruit, and yet…he didn't even know what _pronoun_ to use for the stupid clown.  
  
He needed his pet back.  
  
"Oh I am going to enjoy making her watch as I choke the life out of Hebert before her eyes," he murmured, stroking a photo of his pet. It had been taken just after he had shaved her head, the blank stare as she watched the monitors in her room…  
  
"Soon, pet, soon. I've almost finished the grid search. Just another few days. Hebert can't hide you forever, no matter what her powers are."  
  
[A]  
  
In his primary reality, he found that Emily had called for yet _another_ pointless meeting. With the amount of meetings the tub of lard held, it was amazing anyone ever got any sort of work done. Ah, if only he could drop this timeline immediately and do something _productive_ in both.  
  
"Any progress with the runaway Thinker, Armsmaster?"  
  
Thomas perked up. They were discussing his pet. Perhaps this wouldn't be such a useless meeting after all!  
  
Armsmaster tapped his gauntlet and the image on the television display changed. It didn't show his pet, but the artist rendition was a…decent mockup. He would have to show it to Sarah, once she was back. She would adore it. He'd make sure it was on her wall.  
  
"Mr. Hebert has ceased cooperating with us since his initial report. Beyond providing assistance with this sketch, he has been unresponsive to further contact attempts, only replying to repeat requests that we reach out in the event his daughter contacts us. It is my understanding that Assault has had more success, if minor, in that particular area."  
  
"We have a bit of a rapport, yeah," Assault said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, I'm not going to betray the details here. We've been over this before. I don't think it's relevant and if it _becomes_ relevant then I'll speak up. Until then, it's a personal issue I'm trying to help him work through on my off time."  
  
"Yes," Armsmaster stated simply. Thomas resisted sneering through titanic effort. The fool. Assault obviously knew that Hebert was a cape, and her father apparently suspected as well. Perhaps that was an angle he could try to attack to draw her out?  
  
No, the child had already left her home. The odds that she would leave her charge for a parent she'd already dismissed wasn't worth overextending for; not when he was about to get a new Thinker who would be a force multiplier instead. Only after the middle-schooler was successfully indoctrinated would he see if Daniel Hebert was worth any of his time.  
  
"…nearly certain that she is receiving help from a friend in the city. Checks of bus routes and taxis revealed no one matching either Taylor Hebert or Mime's descriptions leaving the city. They're still here and they have largely avoided camera coverage locations. Dragon and I have gotten one or two hits that might be Hebert, but the clips are too indistinct to be certain with a high enough degree of accuracy to flag anything until long after the fact."  
  
"Was there a pattern in the movements you captured?" Thomas asked, leaning forward and playing with his pen. It wouldn't do to appear too eager. He was just a simple contractor and strike team leader trying to assist with expert advice. He certainly had no interest in narrowing his own search down.  
  
"None. The latest possible sighting was near the recent skirmish between the Merchants and Coil, yet accuracy was only 42%. I'm unconvinced it was her and I only bring it up because there are so few other potential sightings. The girl is learning and taking cues from Mime."  
  
He would have to give his pet a reward. If she could spot cameras for a helper at a distance…oh this was _useful_ information!  
  
"Didn't Hebert say that Mime was mute?" Emily asked.  
  
Assault nodded. "Yeah, but he also said that his daughter was able to communicate with her pretty well. It might be because she's a Thinker or because his daughter is a smart cookie. Either way, just because the girl can't speak, doesn't mean she can't _talk_."  
  
Emily grunted agreement.  
  
Thomas snorted. Oh his pet could talk. She could _sing_. A grin spread on his face as he stared at her sketch. He would make her sing. He would make her sing a sonnet as she begged to make him stop hurting her little 'savior'.  
  
"Just another few days," he whispered, eyes focused on Sarah.  
  
"What was that, Calvert?"  
  
He blinked and looked at Emily. Biting the inside of his lip to keep from scowling, he gestured towards the screen. "I was just thinking that we will likely find them in a few days. How long can two teenagers stay on the run after all?"  
  
Armsmaster frowned. Thomas didn't particularly care what the man thought. It was true. He would find Sarah and her little tagalong soon. Follow the money. They hadn't been staying in the slums or the day-motels. They were staying with a friend. Hebert didn't have friends. Which meant they were staying with New Wave, but most of New Wave would blab in a heartbeat, which meant either Laserdream or Shielder had a secret apartment in the city. He would find that. And he would find his pet. And Sarah would be home.  
  
Marking down on his notepad, _Laserdream apartment(?)_ , he tapped it and leaned back. Now to see what else Emily thought was worth wasting half the day away on.  
  
<B>  
  
In his base, Coil pushed aside the files on Circus and Trainwreck and reached for his computer. He could find Laserdream's expenses easily enough. She wasn't a minor anymore after all. She had to file _taxes_ now.  
  
The clock ticked over to noon, and he brought up her reports for the past year. It did so pay to have inside men at the IRS!  
  
[A]  
  
The clock ticked over to noon and Thomas had to resist the urge to sigh as Armsmaster droned on about yet _another_ movement of his own mercenaries. This wasn't even useful information because it was _late_. They didn't have updated information on his troops so how was he supposed to use this to avoid future patrols?  
  
Loud buzzing interrupted his thoughts as the screen's display changed. As he looked around for the source of the buzzing, his eyes widened as he caught sight of the words on the television.  
  
 _ **The Supervillain known as Coil is in the room with you. I apologize for this hack. I'll send the exploit I used to get in shortly so you can patch it. We're using the same backdoor that he used to piggyback onto your systems.**_  
  
That wasn't possible. That _wasn't possible_. _That. WASN'T. POSSIBLE_.  
  
 _ **The Unwritten Rules are important. The next time you try to kidnap me off the streets and drug me out of my mind, Thomas…do it while I'm wearing a fucking mask. Maybe then it wouldn't have come to - fuck it, yes it would. I'd rather die than let you take me back. You have 30 seconds to go back to your base and make this easy. That's how long before Weaver's attack drops enough venom into your veins to kill you. Go to your base and we let you surrender.**_  
  
"Is this some sort of joke?" Thomas demanded. He slammed his hands down onto the table even as he stood. His eyes flashed around the room, supposedly checking for whoever was pulling the prank, really, he was trying to find the source of the increasing buzzing.  
  
Emily was already pressing the panic button on the table, her gun in hand, waving vaguely in his direction. "Master Stranger quarantine procedures are in effect. Calvert, you know the drill. Keep your hands visible and away from sidearms until we can sort this out. Armsmaster."  
  
"Yes, Director."  
  
They were bluffing. Sarah was many things, but rebellious was not one of them. Not anymore. He had beaten that out of her. And Hebert was a wallflower by all reports. Neither of them _could_ follow through on the implied threat. His pet might be able to burn his identity, yet she certainly had something worse setup for him back at the base. That was why they were trying so hard to get him to drop this timeline.  
  
He felt himself smile. Yes, they were _trying_ to get him to drop this. They knew this made them look bad. All he had to do was hold fast. He could talk his way out of this easily enough. Plus he had alibis for nearly everything that 'Coil' had done. Full-body suits were so useful.  
  
 _ **Last chance Thomas.**_  
  
"This is nonsense!"  
  
The buzzing suddenly changed from a mild whine into a roar. Every vent in the room exploded with insects. Thomas stumbled back, his hand dropping to his gun as he fired several panicked shots into the biblical swarm coming towards him. His eyes widened and he started to scream before he clamped his mouth shut against the incoming horde of bees, hornets, spiders, flies, mosquitoes, and roaches.  
  
Spiders were being held by the fliers and some of the roaches were flying. The majority of the swarm seemed to be composed of bees and hornets. Not that it mattered. His bullets did nothing against that wave of chitin.  
  
Whimpering, he twisted on his heel and ran for the door before they could reach him. Then the door burst open, flying inwards and nearly smashing into him as yet _more_ insects swarmed over themselves. All coming directly towards him.  
  
Hebert wasn't a Stranger. Hebert was a Master.  
  
As the first insects reached him, he couldn't help but scream out.  
  
<B>  
  
Breathing hard, Coil, checked the clock on his computer in his base. 12:01:30. This was fine. They weren't here, they weren't attacking him here. He was fine…he was _fine_. He was…  
  
He was dying in the other timeline. He needed to drop it and start escaping.  
  
And yet…they were trying to force him to drop it. They _had_ something arranged here. If he dropped it _now_ …He'd be stuck with whatever horrific fate they had come up with for him _here_.  
  
"Sarah…You're never going to let me leave here alive are you?"  
  
Buzzing loud enough to nearly deafen him was his answer as insects surged out of the vents. They paused for a single moment, their wings starting to beat in a horrific imitation of a voice.  
  
 **" _You're b_** _ **laming the wrong person Thomas Calvert. You will never touch her again. I would suggest you keep this timeline, because I could make it quick. But I've been watching you long enough that we both know you aren't that type of man."**_  
  
He swallowed as he stared at the wall of chitin in front of him. His other self was still screaming and writhing even as Armsmaster tried to tase the insects off of him. There were just, too, many. He was already dead there if only from the venom. The creatures he could feel crawling in his throat would just be the final touch.  
  
He'd never been afraid of Sarah. Sarah was broken.  
  
He'd been focused on the wrong girl.  
  
"I'll force you to kill me in front of the Protectorate. In front of the PRT if you don't let me leave here breathing." It was worth a shot. It wouldn't matter.  
  
 **" _You make the mistake of thinking I care. Like I said, Thomas Calvert. You will_ never **_**touch. Her. Again."**_  
  
He dropped the timeline before the second wave of insects could drop on him.


	16. Rest

**Rest**

I sipped my tea, while trying to puzzle out the latest crossword in the coffee shop. The tea wasn't very good - I still couldn't figure out why people ranted about Earl Grey so much.

"You're _absolutely_ certain that all of these moles and worms and backdoors and exploits have been patched out?" Piggot demanded up in her office. They had tried to sanitize the building after I had killed Coil in it. They didn't do a good job. And Armsmaster and Kid Win's emergency bug zappers were good, but they didn't help when I could just fly my bugs through open windows or doors, then crawl them along the ceiling or up elevator shafts.

It really was amazing how decent I could hear through just five to ten different insects in a single room. Variety really made all the difference in sorting out the noise from the chaff.

Armsmaster scowled as he glared at the inside of his helmet. At least, I assume he was glaring at the inside of his helmet. He was grunting enough for it and the way he shifted in his seat it seemed to imply that he was glaring at his HUD.

"I've purged the mainframe and Dragon has been going over the base code for the system with me. I believe we are clean. I still want to wipe everything and rebuild it. There is no telling what sort of virus he had installed. He was in our files for a very long time, Director. We should work under the assumption that everything is compromised."

Assistant Director Renick sighed. "At least he didn't have any other villains in his employ to share this data with."

"That we know of," Piggot spat.

Renick shook his head. "Director, you've read the report. You know as well as I do that this Fish character has been extremely forthcoming. If Coil had had other capes in his organization we'd know about it."

"Mime was in his employ," Piggot said. The tip of the pencil in my hand snapped as I pushed it against the crossword too hard. Piggot waved off Armsmaster and Renick before either could speak and she leaned back in her chair. "Shut up both of you. I didn't say I don't believe that it wasn't forced, but she _was_ under his control for long enough to get a _deeply_ personal grudge and no one was the wiser. We need to find out if he managed to seal away any _other_ capes as well. Perhaps ones he was a bit more secretive about. Selective subjects he was more careful to keep a watch on with more compartmentalized knowledge."

"Ones who didn't manage to get in touch with a murderous protector who had a grudge against the PRT in particular?" Renick muttered.

That wasn't entirely true. I didn't dislike the PRT, I just didn't think they could protect Nancy. Coil was smart and his power was bullshit if you didn't know about it. It wasn't _really_ their fault that he'd infiltrated them. Well it was, but information security was everybody's job, loose lips sink ships and all that.

However, it _was_ their fault that no one had _listened_ when I'd tried to tell people that they had a problem. _That_ was why I was annoyed with them.

"Has there been any contact with…Weaver yet?" Piggot asked.

"Assault has said he will be following up on a lead shortly. I've given him authority to act as he sees fit," Armsmaster said.

Assault was quickly becoming my favorite hero. I'd have to get him a gift basket.

"If it pans out, ensure he knows that she needs to, _at minimum,_ register as an official associate of the PRT. I am not at all willing to back down from that. The restraint she showed doesn't escape me. That girl could've murdered half the building before any of us could have even reacted with just the insects in that single room, yet she restrained herself to her sole target and at least gave the appearance of trying to force a surrender."

"You still don't think she would have let him go, Ma'am?" Renick asked.

Piggot scoffed. "Please. That girl ran away from home with her mute girlfriend because daddy pissed her off by coming to us for help. She lived on the streets for all we know just to protect the trauma victim. If that had been _me_? I would've smothered Calvert in his sleep with a smile. She went for theatrics - as capes do. The principle is the same. Calvert was never going to walk away once she found him. I'm just glad they sent the files showing how deep his rot ran."

Maybe she was right. Maybe I had handled things badly. I probably could have killed Thomas in his sleep. But…I had needed to _know_. I had needed to be _sure_ that it was him, not a body double, to see the panic and the bargaining and the excuses. At the end, he hadn't bargained, but he'd acted just like I'd expected and I had been sure. It was Coil. And…

I'd made sure that he knew _why_.

That was…important.

"Director," Armsmaster said, his head turning enough that I was reasonably sure he was focusing on her now instead of his helmet. "A personal question if I may. I know why _I_ and the rest of the Protectorate are invested in finding Weaver and Mime. But this is personal for you as well. Why?"

Piggot looked to the ceiling letting out a long breath of air as she seemed to nearly deflate. "Thomas Calvert and I were the only survivors of Elisburg. I knew he was a sociopath, even back then. I never was able to stop the PRT from employing him again as a contractor and then Strike Leader after he left the main service. That he was able to do this right under my nose…That he could traumatize not one, but two teenagers so thoroughly they were willing to murder him in front of all of us, on top of robbing one of those same girls of her very words…And he was planning to kidnap the _Mayor's pre-teen niece_ and do it to her too? No. Not in my city. Not on my watch. Weaver won't be prosecuted for this, but I can't let her just run around my city without supervision either. Especially not with a loyal Thinker giving her directions. If she's not going to work with us, then she needs to be working with someone else. But she can't be out there alone, not with her power."

"She could take care of the gangs all on her own…" Armsmaster murmured.

"I am aware," Piggot said, just as softly. "And yet, we both know that no one would be able to ignore her if she killed half the villains in the city. She'd force our hand by public opinion alone. Someone who can kill you by drowning you in bugs? When no facility is ever _truly_ bug free? We have to find her Armsmaster, we have to find her before she gets it into her mind that such a path is a good idea."

I pulled the bugs back out of the office as they started to talk about less interesting topics.

They weren't really wrong. I probably could kill Kaiser and most of the Empire, except Alabaster, and maybe Hookwolf. But I doubted I could do much against Lung. I'd have to get him while he was sleeping, work slow, move a few bugs here and there into his lungs, then start weaving webs without waking him up and increasing his regeneration and…

Maybe they were right. Maybe I did need therapy.

Eh, I was fine. I wouldn't go lethal again unless someone tried to kidnap my girlfriend. _Then_ they would have a very bad last day.

I smiled as I filled in the last block on the crossword. My girlfriend. I had a girlfriend. How had that happened? How had I, Taylor Hebert, Victim Extraordinaire, managed _that_?

However it had happened, I wasn't going to question it. Good things in my life were too rare to pass up on.

I pocketed the completed crossword, grabbed my backpack and stood. Downing the last of my tea, I grimaced down at the empty mug.

"What is with this stuff? It's _horrible_!"

* * *

I trudged the last few blocks to my destination after getting off of the bus, my steps slowing with every step. I really didn't want to do this. I still didn't know how I had been talked into it. This was a bad idea, such a bad idea. I should go back to the PRT instead, that would be easier. Or I could go and…clean the apartment?

My house fell into my range and some of the tension in my shoulders bled off. Vicky was already there with Nancy, both sitting on the swing chair on the patio. Dad was inside in the living room. He had to know that they were there. At least he had learned to respect some of our boundaries if he was letting them stay outside until I got there. That was…nice. I guess. Probably. Sure. Nice.

Plastering a smile on, I quieted the frantic web weaving of the nearby spiders and hurried up the front steps. Nancy lifted her hand in an enthusiastic wave as Vicky stood. The taller blonde quickly pulled me into a hug, that had my ribs aching before she stepped back.

"Hey. Told you I could get her here."

"I know you did, and we trust you," I replied back, the fake part of my smile melting away to be replaced by a more genuine warmth. "Thanks, Vicky."

"It's cool. Not a problem at all. You two sure you don't want me to stick around for moral support? I know how issues at home can go and, well, I'm free for the afternoon if you want me."

Nancy coughed and we glanced over to her. She held up her tablet, eyebrow arched and a half smirk on her face.

_**Gallant won't get mad?** _

"How do you know about - why you little!" Vicky's words didn't match the blush on her face or the way she rubbed the back of her neck. Aww, Nancy had made a friend. That was good. We both needed to expand our circles. Co-dependence wouldn't look good when talking to a psychiatrist.

Nancy tapped out a reply on the tablet and turned it back over.

_**Word to the wise: Glory Girl shouldn't be rumored to date someone when Victoria Dallon dates someone else. Sometimes rumors can just be rumors, but a Thinker is always a Thinker.** _

Vicky groaned and slapped her head. "I'll remember that the next time we're actually dating again. You know there's not many Thinkers in this city, so it's not something most of us actually _remember_ could be an issue."

"Just be careful," I said, bumping her shoulder with mine. "Just because you're indestructible doesn't mean that others are, and they can get to you through them."

Vicky frowned as she looked at me. "That got dark fast."

"Hey if it makes you feel better, at this point I'd probably end up hunting down however kidnapped _your_ people too."

Vicky blinked and just stared. "Seriously?"

"You're literally the only person who listened to me, and you didn't turn us in. You're a friend, you get perks."

Nancy nodded. She came beside me, flashing a thumbs up with one hand and her tablet with the other.

_**Don't worry, she's only mostly joking.** _

"I still can't figure out if you two are creepy or adorable." She shrugged, back to smiling. "Either way, just to be sure, one last time, you _really_ don't want me here for dinner to ease the air a bit?"

I shook my head. "It's okay. This is going to be awkward anyway, no need to drag more friends into it. And we already actually have a buffer."

"You do?"

"Assault."

Vicky snapped her head to Nancy, eyes wide. "She's joking again, right?"

Nancy was already holding out her tablet.

 _**Nope** _ **.**

"How…"

"My dad has been talking to him. I listened in on a few conversations while tailing Coil and overheard Assault talking in the PRT too. He's a nice guy. He's been…helpful. And he also didn't tell anyone I was a cape - well not until I…you know." Not until I had killed a man. Drowned him in bugs, replaced a statistically significant chunk of his bodily fluid with venom, eaten bits of his flesh…I should feel bad. I should be a mess.

I shouldn't be utterly convinced that I would do the exact same thing again in a heartbeat. I shouldn't be secretly glad that Calvert chose the PRT over whatever other timeline he had where I had offered a quick death.

I had issues.

"Yeah," Vicky murmured. "I know. Taylor, I was serious when I said you girls could stay in the apartment however long you need. Just wash everything before you both head out, and let me know. Okay?"

"We will. It'll probably only be for another few days. Depending on how this dinner goes, we may move back in here. And if that doesn't work, there's always Option B."

Vicky nodded, clasping my shoulder. "Alright. I'm going to take off. Call or text if you need a rescue. I'm sure I can fake a cape emergency well enough to get you out of the house."

 _**Thanks, Vicky. Stop by for another game tomorrow? I need to regain my crown** _ **.**

"Count on it!"

She flew off leaving just me and Nancy. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, my bugs in their little holes doing their dances and chattering away, letting out my anxiety through my insects.

Nancy's arms draped around my neck, hugging me close as she leaned up to gently kiss my cheek. She was pulling back before I could react, her pad held out.

_**Don't worry. This'll be fine. And if it isn't, things will still be fine.** _

I nodded, feeling more tension loosen as I reached for her hand. She met me halfway and interlocked her fingers with mine. I laid my forehead against hers and just rested against her for a few moments.

"Sorry I'm a bit of a downer right now." I felt her head rock side to side against me. "I promise, I'll be a better hero in a few hours."

Nancy pulled back, she stuck the tip of her tongue between her lips as she tapped out a short message. I glanced over and chuckled.

 _ **Not a hero. A Dark Rogue.**_ **My** _**Dark Rogue.**_

"As you wish," I murmured, pulling her against me again.

Nancy laid her head on my shoulder, her lips right next to my ear. That was probably the only reason that I heard her as the air ghosted out of her lungs in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Thank you, Taylor."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Closing AN: So, I was planning to do an epilogue almost entirely from Vicky's perspective with her acting as an intermediary for Taylor and Nancy towards the PRT, acting in their interests and hardlining Piggot. Except as I wrote this chapter I realized that I got the personal interactions that were going to be shown/implied between the three down already with their bit towards the end here and I already got the PRT reactions as well with the bit at the beginning. So really the entire point of the epilogue was/is moot. (Especially since I like the interactions with the girls more here than how it would have played out in the other version.)
> 
> So, sadly, no epilogue. Happily, this story can instead still end pretty much right where I had initially envisioned it instead (Lisa finally being able to talk again - to Taylor at least)! This work was never really intended to be extremely long like a lot of my others, it was more of a closer character driven story exploring a wildly different take on Lisa's essential nature and how things could change if Coil had early on followed through on his threats.
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing this one and I feel like it really expanded my range with getting into things. I hope everyone enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it!


End file.
